FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Chagossians (West Sussex)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will meet a delegation of West Sussex Social Services councillors and hon. Members to discuss the situation regarding the Chagossians in West Sussex;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with West Sussex County Council regarding the settlement of Chagossians in West Sussex;
	(3)  for what reasons he has not paid the costs of West Sussex Social Services relating to the settlement of Chagossians in West Sussex; and if he will do so.

Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 6 November 2003, Official Report, column 891W. My officials remain in contact with the Department of Health and the Department for Work and Pensions on this issue. Officers from the Department of Health have already met with West Sussex County Council to discuss the situation and offer constructive advice, and both Departments have stated that they will continue to work with the council to address the matter.
	No final decision on the situation of the Chagossians in the UK, including the payment of costs, can be taken until the judicial review proceedings are complete.

China

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Chinese Government about religious freedom in China.

Bill Rammell: We raised the issue of religious freedom with the Chinese during the last round of our regular biannual UK/China Human Rights Dialogue held in Beijing on 10 to 11 November 2003. I personally discussed human rights issues more generally when I met with Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui in Beijing on 17 December 2003.
	We have repeatedly made clear that harassment of religious groups is unacceptable and not in keeping with the provisions of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, which we continue to urge the Chinese to ratify.

China

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Chinese Government about their treatment of Christians.

Bill Rammell: We are deeply concerned about religious freedom in China, including the treatment of Christians, and monitor the situation closely. We regularly raise this issue with the Chinese at the biannual UK/China Human Rights Dialogue; the most recent round was held in Beijing on 10 to 11 November 2003. I personally discussed human rights issues more generally when I met with Assistant Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui in Beijing on 17 December 2003.
	We have repeatedly made clear that the harassment of Christians is unacceptable and not in keeping with the provisions of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, which we continue to urge the Chinese to ratify.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received diplomatic letters from the Mexican Government asking him to clarify whether GCHQ was involved in placing other members of the United Nations Security Council under surveillance in the run up to the war in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Jack Straw: The British Embassy in Mexico City has received a Note Verbale from the Mexican Government on this issue. It is the well-established and long-standing practice of successive governments not to respond to speculation about alleged operational activities by the UK Security and Intelligence Services.

Ministerial Speeches

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many speeches he made between 9 June 2003 and 1 February 2004; and where a copy of each speech can be obtained.

Jack Straw: I made 18 substantive public speeches outside the House of Commons in my capacity as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in that period. Copies of them and of future such speeches can be found on the FCO website (www.fco.gov.uk).

Mr Jafar Dhia Jafar

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 11 December 2003, Official Report, column 587W, on Mr. Jafar Dhia Jafar, when he will write to the hon. Member.

Chris Mullin: I wrote to the hon. Member on 30 January 2004.

Passport Renewal (Harare)

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the British High Commission in Harare accepts transfer payments in sterling for payment of passport renewal applications.

Chris Mullin: No. Consular fees in Harare can currently only be paid in cash, or by bankers cheque, in local currency.

Passport Renewal (Harare)

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the charge for a new 10-year British passport issued in Harare is in (a) sterling and (b) Zimbabwean dollars.

Chris Mullin: The current sterling fee for issuing a standard British passport overseas is £56.50 for an adult and £36.50 for a child. The cost in local currency at the British Embassy in Harare is 430,500 Zimbabwean dollars at present, although this will vary as the exchange rate fluctuates.

UK Presidencies (G8 and EU)

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the last 12 months on the priorities the Government intend to pursue when the UK assumes the presidencies of the (a) G8 and (b) EU.

Denis MacShane: Detailed planning and discussion are going on within, and between, Departments at ministerial and official level. Formal discussions in Cabinet and Cabinet Committees will take place as necessary. The broad framework for work during the next five EU presidencies (including our own) is provided in the Council's Multi-Annual Strategic Programme, which has been placed in the Library of the House.

UN Security Council (Surveillance)

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received letters from the Governments of (a) Chile and (b) Mexico regarding surveillance of delegates to the UN Security Council; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The British Embassy in Mexico City received a Note Verbale from the Mexican Government on this issue. We have received no such correspondence from the Chilean Government.
	It is the well-established and long-standing practice of successive governments not to respond to speculation about alleged operational activities by the UK Security and Intelligence Services.

ADVOCATE-GENERAL

Departmental Costs

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Advocate-General what the total cost of running the office of the Advocate-General was in the latest year for which figures are available.[R]

Lynda Clark: The identifiable costs of the office are not limited to the work of the Advocate-General but include litigation and advisory work, including the preparation of Bills, carried out by lawyers from the Office of Solicitor to the Advocate-General on behalf of Government Departments. The figure for 2002–03, in respect of identifiable costs of staff and related administration for my office, was £1,538,154.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Advisory Panel on Illicit Trade

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects the Advisory Panel on Illicit Trade to (a) report next and (b) be wound up.

Estelle Morris: I refer to the Government's response (published on 24 February) to the report (published on 16 December 2003) of the Select Committee for Culture, Media and Sport Cultural Objects: Developments since 2000.
	(a) It is envisaged that the Illicit Trade Advisory Panel (ITAP) will produce its final report by March 2005. The exact timing of the report will be decided by the Panel at its next meeting.
	(b) It is the intention of the DCMS to begin to wind up ITAP. We are extremely grateful to the Chairman and members of the Panel for all their work in advising Government. However, it is felt that resources should now be focused on the implementation of the new policy framework. The timing of the last meeting will be decided by ITAP itself.

PRIME MINISTER

Ministerial Meetings (Note Taking)

Peter Lilley: To ask the Prime Minister what action he has taken to implement the recommendations of Sir Anthony Hammond about writing notes of ministerial meetings and telephone conversations.

Tony Blair: Following the publication of Sir Anthony Hammond's report, the then Cabinet Secretary (now Lord Wilson of Dinton GCB) wrote to all Departments enclosing guidance on the management of private office papers. It is for individual Departments to determine their own arrangements taking account of this guidance.

UK Presidencies (G8/EU)

Tom Brake: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues in the last 12 months on the priorities the Government intend to pursue when the UK assumes the presidencies of the (a) G8 and (b) EU.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Minister for Europe gave him today.

SCOTLAND

Devolution

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost was to public funds of setting up devolved government in Scotland, excluding the cost of building the new parliament building in Edinburgh.

Anne McGuire: It is not possible to determine the costs of setting up devolved government in Scotland. Any costs since 1 July 1999 are a matter for the Scottish Executive. There has been no increase in the Scottish block to meet additional costs of devolution.

Department Branding

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department and its predecessors spent on branding the Department between 1997–98 and 2003–04, broken down by (a) consultancy fees, (b) design and orders for new stationery, (c) website design and (d) other material featuring new logos.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since then, there has been no expenditure on consultancy fees relating to branding the department and expenditure on new stationery or material featuring logos was minimal. The office spent £2,988 on branding in 1999–2000, relating mainly to new building signage. The Scotland Office website was set up in 1999 by departmental staff.
	In the period 1 May 1997 to 30 June 1999, the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency, now an agency of the Scottish Executive, spent £57,156 in respect of its agency logo and associated branding. Since 1 July 1999 expenditure on branding within the Scottish Executive or its agencies has been a matter for the Executive.

Publicity Campaigns

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much (a) his Department and (b) each agency and non-departmental public body sponsored by his Department spent on (i) advertising and (ii) information campaigns in each year since 2002–03.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 22 January 2004
	The Scotland Office spent £10,390 on advertising in 2002–03. There has been no expenditure on advertising to date in 2003–04.
	The Boundary Commission for Scotland spent £54,613 in 2002–03 on advertising statutory notices. Expenditure to date in 2003–04 is £62,557.

Recruitment Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his Department's expenditure on recruitment advertising was in each of the last three years, broken down by publication; and what proportion of such expenditure was (a) to advertise vacant posts and (b) in the form of other general recruitment advertising.

Anne McGuire: There has been no expenditure on recruitment advertising by the Scotland Office.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Earnings Differentials

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Minister for Women what the latest statistics are on the differential between male and female earnings for (a) men in the upper 10 per cent. of male earnings and women in the upper 10 per cent. of female earnings, (b) average male earnings and average female earnings and (c) men in the bottom 10 per cent. of male earnings and women in the bottom 10 per cent. of female earnings.

Jacqui Smith: The full-time hourly gender pay gap is 19.8 per cent. at the upper decile of the earnings distribution, and 9.11 per cent. at the bottom decile. The mean average hourly pay gap is 18.0 per cent. compared to a median average pay gap of 12.9 per cent.

Social Care (Female Employment)

Simon Burns: To ask the Minister for Women if she will make a statement on female employment in social care.

Jacqui Smith: Social care has a predominately female workforce. Employers need policies that recruit, develop and retain women in these important roles.

Domestic Violence

Phil Willis: To ask the Minister for Women what steps she has taken to ensure the safety of children whose parents have separated as a result of domestic violence.

Patricia Hewitt: Children who grow up in homes where there is domestic violence will always be affected by it. In, 'Every Child Matters', the government's consultation document, we outline proposals that will give:
	Improved support to parents through better universal and targeted services for families.
	Early intervention and protection, with improved information sharing between agencies, a common needs assessment framework, assignment of a lead professional in cases where a child faces multiple risk factors, and multi-disciplinary teams in and around schools.
	Greater accountability and integration of services locally, regionally and nationally, with a Director of Children's Services in every local authority and Local Safeguarding Children Boards.
	A workforce reform strategy which will help the recruitment and retention of key professionals.

Equal Pay

John Denham: To ask the Minister for Women what action she proposes to close the pay gap between men and women in the south-east of England.

Jacqui Smith: The pay gap in the south-east is the second largest in Great Britain. This is in part because some men's earnings are particularly high there.
	The pay gap problem is, however, a national one, and we are taking forward a number of measures to address it. These include the introduction of the national minimum wage, benefiting around one million women, and provisions in the Employment Act spreading good practice on equal pay.

Parliamentary Questions

Graham Brady: To ask the Minister for Women how many days on average her Office took in Session 2002–03 to give a substantive answer to a parliamentary question for ordinary written answer; and what the greatest number of days taken to answer such a question was.

Patricia Hewitt: The Department's database has not separately identified figures for questions that I have answered as Minister for Women. Therefore, these figures are included in the answer to my hon. Friend's question 155390.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Energy Efficiency Industry

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she last met leaders of the construction sector of the energy efficiency industry.

Nigel Griffiths: The Secretary of State attended the Better Buildings Summit on 21 October 2003 and met many people with an interest in energy efficiency issues and construction. In addition, in my role as Construction Minister I regularly meet with a range of organisations with an interest in this area including CIBSE, CPA and BSRIAS. Actions agreed at the Better Buildings Summit are being taken forward by the Sustainable Buildings Task Group. This includes action on energy efficiency.

Government Energy Targets

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the likelihood of reaching the Government's energy targets for 2010.

Stephen Timms: The Government remain confident that their target of 10 per cent. of electricity consumption from renewable sources by 2010 will be met. The target is challenging but we have established a framework of policies and measures for expansion, and industry has responded favourably to these.

Balance of Trade (UK/EU)

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the balance of trade with the EU was in the most recent 12 months for which figures are available; and what the balance was (a) five and (b) 10 years ago.

Mike O'Brien: In the year to the third quarter of 2003, the UK's balance of trade in goods and services deficit with the European Union was 2.5 per cent. of GDP. In 1998 and 1993, the deficits were 0.7 and 0.9 per cent. of GDP respectively.

Manufacturing (Yorkshire and Humber)

Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on regional support for manufacturing in Yorkshire and Humber.

Jacqui Smith: The Government are committed to supporting manufacturing in the UK. The Government's Manufacturing Strategy (published in May 2002) focuses on building a strong and successful manufacturing sector—supporting good quality jobs. Within Yorkshire and the Humber, Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency for the region has made manufacturing a key priority in the Regional Economic Strategy.

Industrial Relations

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to promote new ways of working in industrial relations.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My Department has introduced various initiatives in recent years to promote new ways of working in industrial relations. The Employment Relations Bill, currently before Parliament, includes provisions to implement the information and Consultation Directive and an amendment to provide funding for the modernisation of trade unions.

Manufacturing

Iain Luke: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department is taking to promote innovation in UK manufacturing.

Patricia Hewitt: The recently published Innovation Report, "Competing in the Global Economy: The Innovation Challenge", sets out an action plan to drive up levels of innovation in UK-based businesses. We are also taking forward a range of actions, as part of the Government's Manufacturing Strategy, to promote innovation in manufacturing to help our companies compete effectively in the global marketplace on the basis of high-skills and high-value products. These actions include the highly successful Manufacturing Advisory Service we have established in every region; the extension of the R&D tax credit; and our work with the RDAs to help manufacturers exploit the UK's strong science, engineering and technology base. We will publish a progress report on the implementation of the Manufacturing Strategy in May 2004.

Departmental Budget

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her Department's annual (a) staff and (b) car budget was for each year since 1997.

Patricia Hewitt: Total spending by Department of Trade and Industry from its gross controlled Administration Budget on its staff and car budgets was as follows:
	
		
			  Staff costs (£) Car charges (£) Car charges asa percentage of staff costs 
		
		
			 1997–98 227,000 — — 
			 1998–99 229,000 714.5 0.31 
			 1999–2000 225,000 560.6 0.25 
			 2000–01 261,000 597.4 0.23 
			 2001–02 221,000 652.2 0.30 
			 2002–03 276,000 749 0.27 
		
	
	The staffs costs figures can be found in the Department of Trade and Industry's Expenditure Plans 1999–2000 to 2001–2002 (Cm 4211) and the 2003 Departmental Report (Cm 5916).
	The car charges exclude the ministerial car service. The figure for 1997–98 is not readily available.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to amend the Government's UK emissions targets for carbon dioxide; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Government plans to move towards a 20 per cent. reduction in CO2 emissions by 2010. There has been no change in this intention.

Electricity Supply

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the margin of electricity capacity to meet winter peaks was for each year since 1993.

Stephen Timms: Based on data published by the National Grid Company in its annual "Seven Year Statement" and quarterly updates, out-turn figures for the total installed generating capacity, the average cold spell peak demand and the corresponding plant margin in England and Wales since the winter of 1993–94 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Winter Total installed capacity (GW) Average cold spell peak demand (GW) Plant margin (Percentage) 
		
		
			 1993–94 60.8 48.5 25.4 
			 1994–95 59.5 48.9 21.7 
			 1995–96 57.2 49.7 15.1 
			 1996–97 61.4 50.9 20.6 
			 1997–98 62.3 51.3 21.4 
			 1998–99 63.3 51.5 22.9 
			 1999–2000 64.7 52.4 23.4 
			 2000–01 66.6 53.2 25.3 
			 2001–02 68.0 54.1 25.6 
			 2002–03 66.8 55.5 20.3 
			 2003–04(1) 68.0 55.9 21.6 
		
	
	(1) Provisional

Electricity Supply

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions she has had with electricity generators regarding the supply of electricity.

Stephen Timms: Department of Trade and Industry Ministers hold regular meetings with electricity companies, including generators, to discuss a wide range of issues affecting the electricity industry, including the supply of electricity.

Electricity Supply

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on plans to invest in infrastructure to reduce instability of power in rural areas.

Stephen Timms: Ofgem's principal objective under the Electricity Act 1989 (as amended) is to protect the interests of consumers and, in performing that duty, it has regard to, among others, individuals in rural areas. Ofgem also has duties to promote efficiency and economy on the part of the distribution network operator (DNO), and the operators themselves have duties under the Act to maintain an efficient and economical system. Ofgem are required to balance these duties and so improvement in rural stability as a consequence of network investment is balanced against the additional costs involved.
	I understand that Ofgem are currently in the process of reviewing the distribution price controls with new controls due to be introduced in April 2005. As part of this review, Ofgem will set the limit on the amount of revenue each distribution company can earn per year. As part of the review, Ofgem is assessing the efficient levels of operating and capital costs required for DNOs to meet their statutory obligations as well as to meet pre-determined targets, for example with respect to the number and duration of interruptions.
	While Ofgem considers DNO forecasts of costs in assessing the required levels of revenue, it does not endorse or reject investment proposals on an individual basis. Instead, Ofgem provides a package of overall revenue allowances and network performance targets, relating in part to the number of customer interruptions and the duration of interruptions. Dependent upon performance against these targets, DNOs are either financially rewarded or penalised.
	Ofgem are currently undertaking customer research to assess customers' willingness to pay for any improvements in standards, the findings of which are due to be published in May 2004. The research aims to gain a better understanding of the relative importance that customers place on quality of service issues and the customer's willingness to pay for any improvements.
	I understand that this research will guide Ofgem's decisions on the Ievel of price control revenues and will be taken into account by Ofgem when setting network performance targets, including the amount of revenue exposed for over or under-performance.

Electricity Supply

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what regulations are in place to ensure a reliable electricity supply to consumers.

Stephen Timms: Legal responsibility for energy security is shared by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Ofgem. My right hon. Friend is responsible for setting the overall regulatory framework for the supply of electricity. A key part of that framework is set out in section 3 A of the Electricity Act 1989 as amended by the Utilities Act 2000 and includes the objectives "to protect the interests of consumers". To this end the Secretary of State has made a statutory instrument (The Electricity Safety, Quality and Continuity Regulations 2002) requiring electricity distribution companies to prevent interruption of supply as far as is reasonably practical. These regulations are enforced by DTI Engineering Inspectors.
	Electricity for domestic consumers is provided through their contracts with electricity supply companies which must meet standard licence conditions including the need "to secure that all reasonable demands in Great Britain for electricity are met".
	The infrastructure and the flow of electricity between generators and consumers is the responsibility of National Grid and electricity distribution companies. They are both regulated by Ofgem and also have licence conditions and objectives. For example, National Grid has a licence condition to operate the electricity system in an economic, efficient and coordinated manner. The Secretary of State lays down the Standard Licence Conditions. Enforcement of the licence conditions is for Ofgem.

Electricity Supply

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the estimated number of customer minutes lost of electricity was in (a) Dumfries and Galloway, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK in 2003.

Stephen Timms: The average customer minutes lost of electricity during 2002–03 for the three areas are:
	(a) Dumfries and Galloway: 147
	(b) Scotland: 79
	(c) UK: 110
	The average minutes lost per connected customer in the respective regions reflects the reliability of supplies averaged out between those living in rural and urban settings.

Intellectual Property Rights

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the Government's policy is on Article 10 of the draft EU Enforcement Directive.

Patricia Hewitt: We support the compromise text for the draft EU Enforcement Directive sent by the Council to the European Parliament on 16 February.
	In this text Article 10 (provisional measures) provides for a right holder to apply for an interlocutory injunction:
	"against an intermediary whose services are being used by a third party to infringe an intellectual property right".
	There is also a specific reference to provisions already available under the Copyright Directive 2001/29/EC.
	We believe this text preserves the balance achieved in the earlier Copyright Directive and between the interests of right holders and intermediaries such as internet service providers.

Intellectual Property Rights

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the protection of intellectual property rights afforded by the draft EU Enforcement Directive to UK businesses.

Patricia Hewitt: We have been assessing the EU Enforcement Directive as it has developed in discussions in the Council Working Party on Intellectual Property and the Permanent Representatives Committee taking account of the various views expressed by interests in response to the Patent Office consultation and informal discussions.
	We intend to present a report on the compromise text for the EU Enforcement Directive to the Parliament's Scrutiny Committees.

Intellectual Property Rights

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what reasons underlie the Government's decision to seek amendments to Articles 10 and 15 of the draft EU Enforcement Directive.

Patricia Hewitt: We support the compromise text for the draft EU Enforcement Directive sent by the Council to the European Parliament on 16 February.
	We believe this text preserves the balance achieved in the earlier Copyright Directive 2001/29/EC and between the interests of right holders and intermediaries.

Intellectual Property Rights

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations the Government are making to other EU member states to ensure that the draft EU Enforcement Directive offers the best possible degree of protection to UK businesses.

Patricia Hewitt: The compromise text sent by the Council to the European Parliament on 16 February was the result of intensive discussions with the Council Working Party on Intellectual Property and the Permanent Representatives Committee together with informal discussions with other member states and the interests in general.
	As stated in the Council's letter, the compromise proposal received broad support in the Permanent Representatives Committee, and I believe that if this text is adopted, it will significantly assist UK businesses with the enforcement of their intellectual property rights across the European Community.

EU Regional Policy

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Government proposals for EU regional policy after 2006 (a) falls within existing EU treaty obligations and (b) has been accepted by the Commission.

Jacqui Smith: The Government considers that its proposals for EU regional policy after 2006 do fall within existing Treaty obligations. Our proposals aim at reducing disparities between regions, with a focus on the needs of the poorest Member States.
	The Commission's proposals for the future development of EU regional policy is set out in its Third Cohesion Report, which was published on 18 February. This report will provide an important contribution to the ongoing debate. We shall want to assess the policy and budgetary implications of the proposals in the report carefully against the Government's objectives for reform.

Minimum Wage (Workington)

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people are receiving the minimum wage in the Workington constituency.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It is not possible to provide estimates specifically for Workington. However, based on the Office for National Statistics' Low Pay data released in 2003, the DTI estimates that around 140,000 people in the North West stood to benefit from the introduction of the national minimum wage in April 1999.
	The DTI estimates that between 130,000 and 160,000 people in the North West benefited from the increase in minimum wage rates in October 2003.

Music Piracy

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to tackle music piracy.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Commercial scale piracy is clearly having a serious impact on the music and film industry, which makes an important contribution to the British economy.
	The White Paper, "Competing in the Global Economy: The Innovation Challenge Innovation Report", published by the Department in December 2003 (copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House), gave the Patent Office a mandate to agree a new national strategy for intellectual property crime. Development of that strategy is now in hand.

Near Earth Objects

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the Government's contribution to the European Space Agency's planned near earth object mission study.

Patricia Hewitt: The UK was involved in, and contributed under European Space Agency (ESA) General Studies funding towards, the ESA's Near Earth Object (NEO) mission studies including the Remote Sensing of NEOs from Space study and the Simone study which looked at options for an inter-planetary intercept mission.

Near Earth Objects

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on steps the Government have taken to promote multi-disciplinary studies of the consequences of impacts from near earth objects on the earth.

Patricia Hewitt: The Government supports the findings of the OECD Global Science Forum (GSF) Workshop held in Frascati in January 2003. These include a recommendation for multidisciplinary activity by the International Council for Science (ICSU). That activity has since been approved and is underway. The UK will be involved in the execution of the ICSU activity.

Near Earth Objects

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on steps the Government have taken to establish studies to look into the practical possibilities of mitigating the results of impact and deflecting incoming objects.

Patricia Hewitt: Through the current OECD Global Science Forum activity on Near Earth Objects (NEO), the Government are involved in studies to look into the practical aspects of assessing the risk of impacts as well as the related mitigation planning. The UK has actively encouraged the European Space Agency to carry out studies on NEOs and is involved in missions such as the Rosetta mission to the comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. This will provide significant experience adding to the already substantial knowledge base that will help in the preparation of any deflection mission that may be required.

Near Earth Objects

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the hazard from near earth objects.

Patricia Hewitt: Near Earth Objects (NEO) remain a continuing risk and one which the Government takes seriously. The NEO Information Centre based in Leicester will continue to provide up to date information on the risks to Government and the public.

Near Earth Objects

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on arrangements that have been made for observational data obtained for other purposes by wide-field facilities to be searched for near earth objects on a nightly basis.

Patricia Hewitt: The two main new wide-field survey facilities (ESO VISTA in Chile and the WFCAM instrument facility in Hawaii) are currently under construction and plans for their observing programmes are under discussion between PPARC (Particle Physic and Astronomy Research Council) and its partners. In order to undertake routine examination in near real time of the data stream from these facilities, a dedicated software suite would be required.
	There are no resources available to provide such a capability. Nevertheless, observing programme managers will exchange information on targets of opportunity, such as Near Earth Objects, on a best efforts basis.

Near Earth Objects

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on negotiations to establish an arrangement for small amounts of time to be provided under appropriate financial terms for spectroscopic follow-up of near earth objects; and what financial support she has provided.

Patricia Hewitt: I refer to the reply to PQ No. 155371. The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) has provided some 2,000 pa to the follow-up and spectroscopic analysis activity.

Parliamentary Questions

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many days on average her Department took in Session 200203 to give a substantive answer to a parliamentary question for ordinary written answer; and what the greatest number of days taken to answer such a question was.

Patricia Hewitt: According to the Department's PQ database, the Department answered 2,867 Ordinary Written Questions in the session 200203. Of these, 2,293 (80 per cent.) were answered within five sitting days. 172 (6 per cent.) took longer than 10 days to receive a reply.

Post Office

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) urban and (b) rural post offices have closed in East Devon since 1997.

Stephen Timms: Decisions on post office closures are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Office

Tony Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many consultations on post office branch closures have been carried out in the 12 months to 31 January; and how many such consultations have resulted in a branch remaining open.

Stephen Timms: Decisions on post office closure proposals following public consultation are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to my hon. Friend.

Post Office

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the closure programme for post offices in urban areas.

Stephen Timms: Post Office Ltd. reports on the urban reinvention programme on a quarterly basis. As at the end of December 2003:
	694 offices had closed under the programme;
	46 proposals had been withdrawn or delayed for reworking during the advance notification process agreed with Postwatch;
	a further 66 proposals had been withdrawn or amended as a result of public consultation.
	Post Office Ltd. had approved 388 applications for investment grants to modernise remaining post offices.
	On 5 February, I announced a number of changes, agreed between Post Office Ltd. and Postwatch, to the public consultation arrangements to ensure confidence in them and, by maximising the quality of judgment and transparency, to produce a fair result for customers and the company.

Post Office Card Accounts

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the progress of arrangements for opening post office card accounts.

Stephen Timms: The post office card account is proving popular with customers. So far, over 2 million people have chosen the card account.

State Aid Applications

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many state aid applications were received in each of the last five years, broken down by region; how many were allowed in each case; and how many are awaiting decisions.

Mike O'Brien: The following table sets out the best available information on the number of UK notifications made to, and approved by, the European Commission over the past five years excluding agriculture, fishery and transport cases. It would not be possible to break the figures down to regions within England except at disproportionate cost. Where a notification is not clearly regionally specific it is recorded as UK-wide. In addition there were 10, 58 and 61 cases in the years 2001, 2002 and 2003 respectively deemed approved under the Block Exemption Regulations and Multisectoral Framework 2002.
	
		
			  1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Notified 20 26 25 40 35 
			 Pending  2 1 2 24 
			 Withdrawn or negative 1   1  
			 Approvedof which: 19 24 24 37 11 
			 UK 10 11 11 32 9 
			 England 4 9 4 2  
			 Scotland  2 3 1  
			 Wales 3   1 1 
			 Northern Ireland 2 2 6 1 1

Taxis/Private Hire Vehicles

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to initiate further consultation on the Office of Fair Trading report on The Regulation of Licensed Taxi and PHV Services in the UK; when she intends to make her final response to the report; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 23 February 2004
	Both Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Transport have received responses relating to the OFT report. These will be taken into account when the Government respond. When the OFT published their report on 11 November we agreed to respond within 120 days.

Wind Farms

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to facilitate the (a) decommissioning, (b) upkeep and (c) removal of (i) turbines and (ii) transmission facilities from wind farms; and if she will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The decommissioning, upkeep and removal of turbines and transmission facilities from wind farms and the restoration of the land are matters for the developer and the relevant planning authorities with appropriate arrangements for these activities being agreed at the planning stage.

Wind Farms

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on Government financial support to firms looking to establish wind farms.

Stephen Timms: The Government's main instrument for supporting the establishment of wind farms is the Renewables Obligation. The Obligation is a market based support mechanism that requires licensed electricity suppliers to provide a specified proportion of their electricity from renewable sources. This provides an assured market for renewable electricity and that it attracts a premium.
	To date, the Government have committed 117 million in grant support to early offshore wind farm development. No direct grant support is provided for onshore wind farm development except for some small household or community installations under the Clear Skies scheme.

Wind Farms

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Scottish Executive on planning policies for wind farms.

Stephen Timms: Planning policy in Scotland is a matter devolved to the Scottish Executive and therefore no such discussions have taken place.

Working Time Directive

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the number of working hours that would be lost per year by (a) all employees, (b) male employees and (c) female employees if legislation were passed to prevent them from working longer than an average 48 hours per week.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Employers are likely to respond in a variety of ways if legislation were passed to prevent employees from working longer than 48 hours on average. This makes any estimate of the total number of hours worked per year that could be lost difficult.
	However, what can be estimated is the total number of hours per year that employees usually work over an average of 48 hours per week. For all employees it is estimated at around 990 million hours per year above 48 hours were worked as of spring 2003. This is equivalent to around 2 per cent. of total hours usually worked by all employees. For male employees it is around 820 million hours per year and for female employees around 170 million hours per year.

Wylfa Magnox Reactor

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information she has received on progress made by BNFL to resolve problems with the superheater penetration welds in the Wylfa Magnox reactor.

Stephen Timms: I understand from the company that the issue dates back to 2000 and is now resolved with the plant fully operational.
	Wylfa power station was shut down in mid April 2000 when a routine inspection of 64 welds in the boiler system revealed flaws in a number of welds. The welds hold 'superheater headers' (64 pipes that carry steam, which is not radioactive, from the station's boilers to its turbines to make electricity) in position. The integrity of the pipes themselves was never in question. A major project to fit restraints to steam pipes at Wylfa was completed at the start of July 2001.

CABINET OFFICE

Special Advisers

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to his answer of 26 January 2004, Official Report, column 73W, on special advisers, what the cost of the Knowledge Network was in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: In the financial year 200203 the Knowledge Network cost 1.5 million in current expenditure and 1.7 million capital. (These figures do not include capital charges or Cabinet Office overheads such as accommodation).
	The costs represent the provision of ongoing infrastructure support and the development of web solutions and new systems to facilitate cross-government working.

Strategy Unit Fisheries Report

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to his answer of 9 February 2004, Official Report, columns 113536W, on the Strategy Unit Fisheries report, what the reasons are for the delay in the publication of this report.

Douglas Alexander: We aim to publish the Strategy Unit report on 25 March 2004, a year from its announcement. Copies will be placed in the House Libraries.
	The report has been the subject of a detailed consultation with the key stakeholders in the fishing industry.

DEFENCE

Iraq

Clive Soley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to receive the report he has commissioned on the availability of body armour during the conflict in Iraq.

Geoff Hoon: The Department has carried out a comprehensive analysis of Operation TELIC and presented its findings in reports published in June and December last year. The availability of Enhanced Combat Body Armour (ECBA) was discussed in these reports. However, in the light of lessons identified during Operation TELIC, policy on the issuing of ECBA to troops on operations is now under review.

Iraq

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice is given to troops in Iraq about the dangers of depleted uranium.

Ivor Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms Walley) on 5 January 2004, Official Report, column 26W.

Nuclear Weapons (Decommissioning)

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to achieve multilateral decommissioning of nuclear weapons.

Geoff Hoon: As a signatory to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) the United Kingdom is committed to Article VI in which each State Party to the treaty
	undertakes to pursue negotiations in good faith on effective measures relating to cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament . . .
	The UK anticipates that multilateral nuclear weapons decommissioning would take place within that context. Negotiations to implement Article VI have not yet commenced and are not scheduled. The way forward agreed by NPT States Parties at the 2000 NPT review conference is set out in the final document produced by that conference. The UK has made considerable progress on measures contained in the final document and will play a full role in the third session of the NPT Preparatory Committee in April this year.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Asylum Seekers

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum-seekers have been detained pending removal at the Oakington Immigration Reception Centre during 2003.

Beverley Hughes: Information on the number of people detained pending removal from the United Kingdom and on the total number of detainees held under the Immigration Act during 2003 is not available and could be obtained only by examination of individual case-files at disproportionate cost.
	The latest available information on people held in the Immigration Removal Estate show that at 27 September 2003 260 people were housed at the Oakington Immigration Reception Centre.

Asylum Seekers

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum applications the UK has received for each of the last five years; and what the comparable figures are for each country in the European Union.

Beverley Hughes: The table shows the number of asylum applications received in each European Union country in each of the last five years.
	
		Applications(2) received for asylum in Europe, including dependants, by year of application, 1998 to 2003
		
			  1998 1999 2000 2001(3) 2002(4) 2003(4) 
		
		
			 Austria 13,800 20,100 18,300 30,100 39,400 32,400 
			 Belgium(5) 25,000 40,800 48,700 28,000 21,400 19,300 
			 France(5) 25,500 35,100 44,200 53,900 58,100 69,300 
			 Germany 98,600 95,100 78,600 88,300 71,100 50,400 
			 Greece(6) 3,000 1,500 3,000 5,500 5,700 8,200 
			 Italy(7) 9,500 33,400 18,000 9,600 7,300 n/a 
			 Luxembourg(6) 1,700 2,900 600 700 1,000 1,600 
			 Netherlands 45,200 39,300 43,900 32,600 18,700 13,400 
			 Portugal(6) 400 300 200 200 200 100 
			 Spain 6,600 8,400 7,200 9,200 6,200 5,700 
			 Denmark(8) 5,700 6,500 10,100 12,500 5,900 4,600 
			 Finland(8) 1,300 3,100 3,200 1,700 3,400 3,100 
			 Ireland 4,600 7,700. 10,900 10,300 11,600 7,900 
			 Sweden(8) 12,800 11,200 16,300 23,500 33,000 31,400 
			 United Kingdom(9) 58,500 91,200 98,900 91,600 103,100 61,100 
			 Total EU 312,300 396,700 401,900 397,600 386,100 308,400 
		
	
	(2) Figures rounded to the nearest 100.
	(3) Provisional figures.
	(4) Revised figures.
	(5) Figures based on IGC data but adjusted to include an estimated number of dependants.
	(6) Figures based on UNHCR data, including dependants.
	(7) UNHCR data.
	(8) Signed up to the Schengen agreement but not operating its provisions.
	(9) Figures have been adjusted to include an estimated number of dependants
	between 1998 and 2001. 2002 and 2003 figures based on actual data.
	Annual data on asylum applications to EU member states are published in quarterly web pages and in the Home Office annual statistical bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom, copies of which are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum Seekers

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his forecasts are for asylum applications for each of the next five years; and what the comparable figures are for each EU member state.

Beverley Hughes: We have already reduced the monthly intake of asylum applications by half since October 2002. Current policy initiatives, such as juxtaposed controls in France and the deployment of detection technology at continental ports, are designed to prevent those who seek to circumvent our controls at specific ports of entry from doing so. The Government are confident that this and further measures will continue to reduce misuse of the asylum system and the numbers of unfounded asylum claims. The measures we introduced in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 and the subsequent robust measures to ensure the integrity of our borders are testament to that.
	Population and migration projections are published by the Government Actuary's Department, available from the Library of the House.

Asylum Seekers

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) financial and (b) other support services are available to an asylum seeker aged between 16 and 18-years-old who is in the UK without family.

Beverley Hughes: Services for unaccompanied asylum seeking children aged between 16 and 18-years-old are the responsibility of local authority social services departments. Their needs are assessed and support services provided accordingly in ways that are the equivalent of any other child in need. In all but a very few cases the local authority will make all necessary financial provision for them. In the few cases, for example, where leave to remain has been granted and their individual social services pathway plan permits, they may access benefits as part of an overall range of provision.

Asylum Seekers

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied children he estimates arrived in the United Kingdom in each of the last five years from outside the EU.

Beverley Hughes: I regret that reliable information on the entry routes of unaccompanied children to the UK is not available. The available information which relates to the number of asylum applications made by unaccompanied asylum seeking children in the last five years is given in the table.
	
		Asylum applications from unaccompanied children aged 17 or under(10)
		
			  Number of principal applicants 
			 Year Total Port In country 
		
		
			 1998(11) 3,035 1,085 1,955 
			 1999(11) 3,350 1,500 1,850 
			 2000(11) 2,735 1,395 1,340 
			 2001(11) 3,470 1,645 1,820 
			 2002(12) 6,200 1,240 4,955 
			 2003(12) , (13) 2,800 555 2,245 
		
	
	(10) Figures rounded to nearest five. Unaccompanied at point of arrival, aged (or if no proof) determined to be 17 or under and not known to be joining a relative or guardian in the UK. Figures exclude disputed age cases.
	(11) May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices.
	(12) Not comparable with manual counts data prior to 2002.
	(13) Provisional figures.
	Information on the number of asylum applications from unaccompanied children is published in quarterly web pages and in the annual statistical bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom. Copies of these publications and others relating to general immigration to the UK are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Cannabis

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the schedule of advertising was for the 2004 cannabis advertising campaign; and what the full cost of the campaign was, broken down by media outlet.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 9 February 2004
	The schedule and costs for advertising are as follows:
	Radio advertising started on the 22 January for four weeks, on 48 national and regional commercial radio stations in England. Total costs including production, media and research: 387,000.
	Press advertising consisted of two insertions in five national press titles (Sun, Mirror, News of the World, Guardian and Telegraph) and one insertion in each of the 108 regional titles. These insertions were on or near the reclassification dated 29 January. Total costs including production, media and research: 305,000.
	Other costs including briefings for police, teachers and other professionals; 2.5 million leaflets to be distributed through youth clubs, schools and community groups; postcards appearing in 660 pubs and bars in England and Wales and a contingency fund for reprints: 300,000.

Cannabis

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much (a) has been spent in the last 12 months and (b) will be spent in the next 12 months on public information advertising relating to cannabis.

Caroline Flint: The costs for public information activities relating to cannabis are as follows:
	Radio advertising for four weeks. On 48 national and regional commercial radio stations in England. Total costs including production, media and research: 387,000.
	Press advertising consisted of two insertions in five national press titles (Sun, Mirror, News of the World, Guardian and Telegraph) and one insertion in each of 108 regional titles. These insertions were on or near the reclassification dated 29 January.
	Total costs including production, media and research: 305,000.
	Other costs including briefings for police, teachers and other professionals; 2.5 million leaflets to be distributed through youth clubs, schools and community groups; postcards appearing in 660 pubs and bars in England and Wales and a contingency fund for reprints: 300,000.
	No decision has been made to date as to how much will be spent over the next 12 months.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 6 January 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Raymond McGinty.

David Blunkett: I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 25 February 2004.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on recent staff turnover at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, with particular reference to caseworkers dealing with asylum applications;
	(2)  what measures his Department is taking to minimise disruption to asylum applications resulting from turnover of Immigration and Nationality Directorate caseworkers.

Beverley Hughes: Staffing levels in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate are continually monitored so that staff turnover can be anticipated and planned for to minimise disruption.
	The Asylum Casework Directorate utilises business planning forecast models to anticipate and plan for staff turnover. Staff turnover has, as a result, been carefully managed to minimise disruption to the processing of asylum applications. About 80 per cent. of new applications are currently decided within two months (against a target of 75 per cent.).

Prisons

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Prison Service review of the open prison estate; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

Paul Goggins: In his statement on 6 January, in response to concern about prisoners absconding from open prisons, my right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary said that he had asked the new chief executive of the National Offender Management Service to report on the operation of open prisons. This was a request for advice from officials not for a formal report or review. I am at present considering the advice but it would be inappropriate to publish it and I have no plans to do so.

Venezuelan Nationals

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the Venezuelan nationals admitted to the United Kingdom during 2002 returned to their country of origin within the period of their visa requirements.

Beverley Hughes: No data are available on the numbers of persons who return to their country of nationality before their leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom expires. We do not routinely manually count passengers into and out of the United Kingdom.
	We are keeping the option for embarkation controls under review while exploring the extent to which new technology could provide us with more efficient ways of checking those leaving the country.

Visa Requirements

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 27 January 2004, Official Report, column 269W, on visa requirements, whether anti-trade union activity is regarded as not being conducive to the public good.

Beverley Hughes: Each case is considered on its individual merits. A person engaged in anti-trade union activity may be refused entry if their presence in the UK was not considered to be conducive to the wider public good.

HOUSE OF COMMONS

Fairtrade Products

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chairman of the Catering Committee if he will recommend to the Refreshment Department that it stocks Fairtrade fruit and chocolate bars in all catering outlets on the Parliamentary Estate.

Dennis Turner: The Refreshment Department was one of the first organisations to support the Fairtrade movement and has done so for many years. We already stock chocolate made by The Day Chocolate Company throughout our cafeterias, and purchase Fairtrade bananas whenever they are available from our suppliers. All fresh coffee served by the Department is made from beans approved by the Fairtrade organisation, and we stock fairly traded Clipper teas and Geobars (a cereal snack bar).
	The Refreshment Department will be actively supporting the Fairtrade Fortnight, which is being held from Monday 1 March to Sunday 14 March, by promoting our Fairtrade Mark products under their banner A taste for life. We will also be selling other fairly traded goods, including dried fruits, cookies, pasta, oranges and grapes, which are not always available to the catering market. We believe that these will prove popular with our customers and we hope by this means to encourage our suppliers to stock these products.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Nicaragua

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the national level workshop in Nicaragua supported by his Department in 2003.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Nicaraguan workshop took place on 3 March 2003. It brought together, for the first time in Nicaragua, Government officials, the private sector, labour organisations, representatives of international certification programmes and retailers. Its aim was to identify possible ways to strengthen the implementation and monitoring of corporate codes of conduct in Nicaragua and thereby improve both the conditions of workers in export industries and the ability of these industries to be competitive internationally.
	The workshop made a number of recommendations for action to be taken by the Government, private sector and civil society in Nicaragua: the need to clarify the roles of those involved in monitoring corporate codes of conduct, to improve cooperation between national government officials and international certification programmes, to rationalise monitoring to avoid duplication and conflicting recommendations to factories, and to increase the knowledge of workers of corporate codes of conduct and national labour legislation.
	One impact of the workshop was that the women workers association (the Maria Elena Cuadra Movement of Women Workers and Unemployed) integrated the recommendations into its training, advisory and policy work to improve the conditions of workers in the garment industry of the tax free zones.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agricultural Market Price Support

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the instruments of agricultural market price support; and how each is (a) defined and (b) calculated.

Alun Michael: The Common Agricultural Policy includes several instruments whose objective is to support market prices for agricultural products. These are: (i) intervention storage, where public intervention agencies guarantee to buy products at a set price; (ii) export refunds, which bridge the gap between EU internal market and world market prices, (iii) import tariffs which are a fixed or variable levy on each unit of imported product, and (iv) aid for private storage.
	The OECD produces annual estimates of the transfers to agricultural producers which result from market price support in the EU. The estimates are calculated as the difference between the EU domestic price and the equivalent world price multiplied by the level of EU production. The OECD estimates EU market price support for the major commodities in 2002 at around Euro 61 billion.

Avian Influenza

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 5 February 2004, Official Report, column 1012W, on avian influenza, what varieties of poultry have been imported from (a) Thailand, (b) Pakistan, (c) Indonesia, (d) Vietnam and (e) other countries in South East Asia in each of the last 24 months for which records are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Information on imports of poultry meat by species is not available.

Common Agricultural Policy

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on Common Agricultural Policy reform.

Alun Michael: The EU agreed on 26 June 2003 to a radical shift in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). In future, the bulk of subsidies will no longer be linked to production, freeing farmers to produce the safe, high quality food which people want and bringing environmental improvements.
	On 12 February my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, announced how she proposed to implement key features of that groundbreaking reform in England. We will decouple fully in 2005 and move over an eight year transition period towards a flat rate Single Farm Payment to farmers. England will be split into two regionsland in the severely disadvantaged areas (SDAs) of the less favoured areas (LFAs) and all other eligible land. Different rates will apply in these regions. This represents a decisive irreversible and forward-looking shift consistent with the direction that we have already set in the Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy (SFFS) and in the June 2003 CAP reform negotiations.

Departmental Reports

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the reports her Department has published in each of the last five years; and what the cost has been to public funds of producing each one.

Alun Michael: A list of publications produced by Defra is on the departmental website Defra, UKPublications home page, and this includes many of the reports that Defra produces. To collate the information requested and to establish the individual production costs would be disproportionate.

Kew Gardens

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much Government funding has been provided for the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in each year since 1996 at current prices.

Ben Bradshaw: Government grant in aid (including capital) to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew for each of the years since 1996 was:
	
		
			  000 
		
		
			 199697 18,936 
			 199798 20,951 
			 199899 17,551 
			 19992000 17,219 
			 200001 16,935 
			 200102 19,729 
			 200203 16,629

Milk

Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of the increase in price noted in her Department's milk price survey raw milk producers will receive; and what steps she has taken to ensure that raw milk producers receive a fair share of this increase.

Alun Michael: The milk price survey run by the Department records the price paid by the purchasers of raw milk to raw milk producers. Therefore, by definition, all of the increase in price recorded by this survey is received by raw milk producers.
	The Office for National Statistics also produce data on the retail price of milk. Transmission of changes between retail and farmgate prices is more complex. This issue was looked at in depth by London Economics for KPMG its report on Prices and Profitability in the GB Dairy Chain, which was commissioned by the Milk Development Council. London Economics examined the UK milk market for the period from January 1995 to December 2001. On the basis of a rigorous statistical analysis, it concluded that adjustments to retail prices for liquid milk were fully passed back to the farmgate price, although there was a lag of five months before the retail price change was fully reflected in the farmgate price. There were no differences in the impact of retail price increases and decreases on farmgate prices, both were fully transmitted. In contrast a 1 pence increase in the farmgate price resulted in only a 0.6 pence increase in the retail price of liquid milk whereas a 1 pence decrease in farmgate price reduced the retail price by 0.7 pence.
	London Economic also looked at the market in cheddar cheese. They found some evidence of a widening gap over the seven year period to 2002 between the retail price and farm gate price on a milk equivalent basis.

Net Mesh Sizes

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research she has conducted on the relationship between net mesh sizes required in commercial trawls and minimum landing sizes.

Ben Bradshaw: For the main commercial species research has established the general relationship between cod-end mesh size and the average size of fish that can escape through those meshes, on which the minimum landings size is based.

Parliamentary Questions

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many days on average her Department took in session 200203 to give a substantive answer to a parliamentary question for ordinary written answer; and what the greatest number of days taken to answer such a question was.

Alun Michael: Records for session 200203 were not maintained in such a way to enable the Department to extract the information requested without incurring disproportionate costs but this sort of information will be available in the future following the creation of a new database.
	Defra endeavours to reply to all parliamentary questions within parliamentary deadlines wherever possible. None of the 5,444 questions tabled to the Department during the 200203 session were left unanswered at Prorogation.

Turf Farming

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government's policy towards (a) turf farming and (b) the restoration of land used when turf farming has ceased in a particular area.

Alun Michael: The Government encourage diversification of agricultural businesses but recognises that this must be done in a sustainable manner. Turf farming involves the cutting and inevitable removal of some topsoil. The use of modern machinery, which removes only a very thin layer of root matter and soil, is encouraged.
	There is no specific policy directly addressing this issue but the guidance provided in the Codes of Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Soil should be adhered to. The formation of fertile, rich topsoil with high organic matter content is a very slow natural process. Removal of topsoil reduces the productivity of the land by reducing the water and nutrients available to plants and making soil more likely to suffer structural damage. Shallow compact soils are also less able to absorb rainfall and the risk of water erosion and associated diffuse pollution may be increased. Therefore the loss of topsoil should be kept to a minimum in any turf farming operation.
	Due consideration needs to be given on the likely risk of compacting the soil and leaving it in a bare condition that could encourage erosion and runoff of water and associated soil materials to water courses, roads etc. To minimise this risk, land formally subject to turf farming should be re-vegetated as soon as practicable. The soil should not be mined of available water and nutrients such that it cannot support the previous agricultural land use once restoration activities are complete.
	It should be noted that removing large amounts of surface soil could be regarded as a development as defined by section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act (1990). As such the business will need planning permission. If businesses do not receive planning permission it is an offence under the Agriculture Land (Removal of Surface Soil) Act 1953 to remove for sale, more than five cubic yards of surface soil from agricultural land in any three-month period unless the removal is reasonably necessary for cutting turf or peat. Advice is available from the local planning authority (usually district council or unitary authority) about commercial turf cutting from agricultural land when planning permission is required. The Local Planning Authorities are required to consult with Defra before granting permission for a planning application which is not in accordance with the development plan and would involve (1) the loss of 20 ha or more of grades 1, 2 or 3a agricultural land or (2) a loss which is less than 20 ha but is likely to lead to further losses amounting cumulatively to 20 ha or more.

Victorian Theme Park (Isle of Wight)

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her reasons for grant aiding the proposed development of a Victorian Theme Park at Holliers Farm, Branstone, Newchurch, Isle of Wight; and what account she took of the proximity of the Isle of Wight Observatory.

Alun Michael: If the question refers to the Rural Enterprise Scheme 16/020/8002, submitted by Mr. Paul Smith of Jayland Ltd. on 23 December 2002, for the development of Jubilee Park, I can confirm that the application was formally withdrawn on 4 July due to the absence of planning consent. The application was never formally presented to the Defra Regional Appraisal Panel to consider approval for grant aid.
	Impacts on the Isle of Wight Observatory would be a matter for consideration by the Local Planning Authority, I understand the authority has received correspondence from the Observatory in respect of potential light pollution.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Ministerial Meetings

Adam Price: To ask the Leader of the House how many meetings he has had in his capacity as Leader of the House in the past eight months.

Peter Hain: I undertake a wide range of meetings with interested parties. These include meetings with Mr. Speaker, Members of the House, House officials and Cabinet colleagues.

Opposition Days

Alan Hurst: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  for how long (a) the Opposition front-bench speakers, (b) the Government front-bench speakers and (c) other front-bench speakers spoke in Opposition Day debates in each year since 1974;
	(2)  how many back-bench members were called to speak, excluding interventions, in Opposition Day debates in each year since 1974;
	(3)  how much parliamentary time was allowed for Opposition Day debates in each year since 1974;
	(4)  how much parliamentary time was taken by back-bench speeches, excluding interventions, in Opposition Day debates in each year since 1974;
	(5)  how many interventions to their speeches were granted by (a) Government Ministers and (b) Opposition front-bench speakers in Opposition Day debates in each year since 1974.

Peter Hain: This information is a matter of public record, but could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

TREASURY

Alcoholic Drinks (Duty)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the loss of duty payable to the Government consequent on the purchase of (a) beer, (b) wine and (c) spirits in France by United Kingdom residents in the last year for which figures are available.

John Healey: The most recent estimates of the loss of duty and VAT payable to the Government consequent on purchases of beer, wine and spirits made in all EU member states and on ferries by UK cross-border shoppers during 200102 are contained in Measuring and Tackling Indirect Tax Fraud (December 2003), a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Business Skills

Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his Department's policy is on developing business skills in young people; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Government are implementing a range of policies to develop business skills in young people, including the recommendations of the Davies Review of Enterprise and the Economy in Education. Enterprise Learning Pathfinders began in this academic year and, from September 2005, all pupils will experience at least five days of enterprise education before they leave school. The Government also provide funding for Enterprise Advisers for disadvantaged schools and in Enterprise Areas, supports organisations such as Young Enterprise and Enterprise Insight, and is setting up a National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship.

Customs and Excise

Anthony Steen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will change the policy of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise that genuine mistakes made in good faith are not reasonable excuses for surcharge purposes.

John Healey: The VAT system aims to encourage payment of the right tax at the right time. As well as safeguarding revenues, this provides equity for all taxpaying businesses. A business may be penalised if it does not pay the right tax at the right time: the misdeclaration penalty penalises significant or repeated errors in the amount of tax paid and the default surcharge penalises late payment.
	The VAT penalty system has safeguards to ensure that businesses are not treated over-harshly. For the smallest businesses, several warnings are issued before a late payment penalty is issuedso that a business would not be penalised until its fifth default. Both misdeclaration penalties and default penalties can be withdrawn if there is a reasonable excuse for an error or delay. In this context, reasonable excuses can include compassionate circumstances or unforeseen events. However, this would not include mistakes of the type to which the hon. Gentleman refers since the penalties are, in part, designed to encourage accuracy.

Earnings Statistics

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of (a) male, (b) female and (c) all full-time workers in (i) Scotland, (ii) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland and (iii) Great Britain had hourly gross earnings (A) including and (B) excluding overtime of below (1) 7.58, (2) 5.68 and (3) 4.20.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Ms Annabelle Ewing, dated 26 February 2004
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the proportion of (a) male, (b) female and (c) all full-time workers in (i) Scotland, (ii) each of the unitary local authority areas in Scotland and (iii) Great Britain had hourly gross earnings (A) including and (B) excluding overtime of below (1) 7.58, (2) 5.68 and (3) 4.20. (156219)
	I attach two tables showing the proportion of male and female workers whose average gross hourly pay in 2003 falls below the stated thresholds in Great Britain, Scotland and in Scottish local authorities. Estimates for pay including and excluding overtime are shown separately.
	Average earnings are estimated from the 2003 New Earnings Survey (NES) and are provided for full-time employees on adult rates of pay whose pay was unaffected by absence during the pay period. This is the standard definition used for NES tables. The NES does not collect data on the self-employed and people who do unpaid work.
	The New Earnings Survey publication criteria ensures that all estimates are undisclosive and of reliable quality, and suppresses estimates that do not meet these criteria. A number of estimates have been removed from the table for this reason. The information is based on the 2003 NES, the latest survey for which data are available.
	
		Percentage of full-time employees whose average gross hourly pay (including overtime) in 2003 fell below three stated thresholds
		
			  Male employees' pay thresholds Female employees' pay thresholds All employees' pay thresholds 
			 Area 7.58 5.68 4.20 7.58 5.68 4.20 7.58 5.68 4.20 
		
		
			 Great Britain 26.4 8.5 1.2 36.8 14.7 1.9 30.3 10.9 1.4 
			 Scotland 29.8 10.3 1.2 39.2 15.3 1.5 33.8 12.5 1.3 
			 Local Authorities  
			 Aberdeen City 23.8 10.0  32.7 11.2  27.3 10.4  
			 Aberdeenshire 35.4 9.8  46.8 26.1  40.0 16.4  
			 Angus 38.4 11.6  44.2 18.2  41.1 14.7  
			 Argyll and Bute 39.7   41.7   40.5 11.6  
			 Scottish Borders, The 43.0 15.1  57.3 25.6  50.0 20.2  
			 Clackmannanshire50.0   35.7 17.9  
			 Dumfries and Galloway 49.2 15.6  52.1 26.0  50.5 20.2  
			 Dundee City 26.3 10.3  37.4 16.3  31.1 12.9  
			 East Ayrshire 31.0 17.2  38.9 18.1  34.6 17.6  
			 East Dunbartonshire 25.0   29.5   27.3   
			 East Lothian 36.5  32.0   
			 East Renfrewshire 36.1   41.7   38.9 13.9  
			 Edinburgh, City of 26.3 11.0 1.4 31.7 10.1  28.5 10.6 1.2 
			 Falkirk 32.6 13.9  38.5 11.9  35.2 13.0  
			 Fife 29.7 8.5  46.5 12.5  36.7 10.2  
			 Glasgow City 27.4 9.8 1.1 34.9 12.1  30.8 10.8 1.1 
			 Highland 33.6 11.8  45.8 18.7  38.7 14.7  
			 Inverclyde 37.8 14.9  36.8 22.8  37.4 18.3  
			 Midlothian 30.5   35.9   32.7 14.3  
			 Moray 44.7   58.6 31.0  50.3 16.8  
			 North Ayrshire 23.7   37.5 18.1  29.6 11.8  
			 North Lanarkshire 33.2 10.2  38.6 10.9  35.2 10.5  
			 Orkney Islands   37.5 25.0  
			 Perth and Kinross 30.8 11.5  48.0 25.5  38.4 17.7  
			 Renfrewshire 30.8 10.6  39.8 17.1  34.3 13.1  
			 South Ayrshire 23.5   37.5 12.5  29.6 8.9  
			 South Lanarkshire 24.2 8.3  44.9 19.0  33.2 13.0 2.1 
			 Stirling 29.7   37.3 23.5  32.8 16.8  
			 West Dunbartonshire 29.7   48.4 19.4  38.9 15.1  
			 West Lothian 30.3 9.0  46.3 12.6  36.7 10.4  
			 Western Isles   37.5   
		
	
	
		Percentage of full-time employees whose average gross hourly pay (excluding overtime) in 2003 fell below three stated thresholds
		
			  Male employees' pay thresholds Female employees' pay thresholds All employees' pay thresholds 
			 Area 7.58 5.68 4.20 7.58 5.68 4.20 7.58 5.68 4.20 
		
		
			 Great Britain 27.9 9.5 1.3 37.4 15.1 1.9 31.5 11.6 1.5 
			   
			 Scotland 31.6 11.6 1.3 39.9 16.0 1.6 35.1 13.5 1.4 
			   
			 Local Authorities  
			 Aberdeen City 25.1 11.0  32.3 11.2  27.9 11.0  
			 Aberdeenshire 39.0 13.4  46.8 27.9  42.2 19.3  
			 Angus 38.4 15.1  45.5 19.5  41.7 17.2  
			 Argyll and Bute 42.5   41.7   42.1 14.9  
			 Scottish Borders, The 45.3 18.6  57.3 26.8  51.2 22.6  
			 Clackmannanshire50.0 38.5  35.7 19.6  
			 Dumfries and Galloway 50.0 18.0  52.1 28.1  50.9 22.5  
			 Dundee City 29.4 10.8  37.4 15.6  32.8 12.9  
			 East Ayrshire 34.5 19.5  40.3 19.4  37.1 19.5  
			 East Dunbartonshire 29.5   29.5   29.5   
			 East Lothian 39.7  34.0 11.0  
			 East Renfrewshire 33.3   41.7   37.5 13.9  
			 Edinburgh, City of 27.7 11.6 1.7 32.4 10.1  29.7 11.0 1.4 
			 Falkirk 33.3 16.7  39.4 11.9  36.0 14.6  
			 Fife 32.5 8.5  48.0 12.9  39.0 10.3  
			 Glasgow City 28.5 10.5 1.1 35.8 12.8  31.8 11.5 1.1 
			 Highland 35.0 12.3  47.1 19.4  40.0 15.2  
			 Inverclyde 36.5 20.3  38.6 22.8  37.4 21.4  
			 Midlothian 30.5 13.6  35.9   32.7 16.3  
			 Moray 48.2 11.8  58.6 32.8  52.4 20.3  
			 North Ayrshire 25.8   42.3 21.1  32.7 14.3  
			 North Lanarkshire 35.2 10.8  39.1 10.9  36.6 10.8  
			 Orkney Islands   37.5 25.0  
			 Perth and Kinross 32.3 14.6  49.0 24.5  39.7 19.0  
			 Renfrewshire 32.8 11.1  39.0 18.7  35.2 14.0  
			 Shetland Islands   30.3   
			 South Ayrshire 23.5   37.5 14.8  29.6 9.9  
			 South Lanarkshire 26.8 9.1  44.9 19.5  34.7 13.6  
			 Stirling 36.1 16.7  39.2 23.5  37.4 19.5  
			 West Dunbartonshire 29.7   50.0 21.0  39.7 15.9  
			 West Lothian 35.4 9.7  46.3 14.7  39.7 11.7  
			 Western Isles   41.0

Equitable Life

Mohammad Sarwar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the matters he referred to the Serious Fraud Office in respect of Lord Penrose's report on Equitable Life.

Ruth Kelly: It would not be appropriate to refer to the content of Lord Penrose's report on Equitable Life in advance of publication.

Individual Savings Accounts

Sue Doughty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will amend the regulatory requirements on transfer of mini cash ISAs between account providers to speed up transfer time; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: The ISA regulations state that a transfer of an ISA between account providers must take place within the time stipulated by the investor. However, providers are given a reasonable business period (not exceeding 30 days) to allow for the practical implications of making the transfer.

Inland Revenue

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people are employed by the Inland Revenue in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley.

Dawn Primarolo: Within the North West Government Office Region (excluding Merseyside) the Inland Revenue employed 8,534 people at 1 April 2003. Of these 76 were employed in Chorley.

Management Consultants

Howard Flight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to his Department of using management consultants has been in each of the last five years.

Ruth Kelly: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost; HM Treasury does not hold data specifically on the costs of management consultants. Data on the total costs to HM Treasury for external consultants was given in my answer of 31 March 2003, Official Report, column 562W.

Stress Audits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many stress audits were carried out in his Department in each of the last five years; what the cost of each audit was; what assessment of the effects of the audits has been made; and if he will make a statement.

Ruth Kelly: A stress audit was carried out in 2000 at a cost of 20,000. The audit drew attention to several problems and a staff group was set up to assess its recommendations and to take forward an action plan. To measure progress against the 2000 stress audit, a follow up well being survey was carried out in 2003 at a cost of 15,000. Generally the results of the survey were positive: levels of stress had decreased since the 2000 stress audit. However there remained scope for improvement and a new staff group has been set up to focus on what more should be done.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Access to Legal Advice

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the same levels of legal advice and support are available to people throughout England.

David Lammy: Our aim in providing legal advice and support is to provide common levels of provision across the country, taking into account local needs. This is done through the Legal Services Commission, which is responsible to the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs for maintaining and developing the Community Legal Service (CLS). The key aim of the CLS is to provide greater and more easily accessible civil legal advice services to people within England and Wales. Regional Legal Services Committees and CLS Partnerships are responsible for co-ordinating the delivery of local legal and advice services in their area and, through an analysis of priority legal needs at a local level, can ensure that resources are targeted more effectively to those most in need.
	In addition, the Commission has put in place a number of initiatives to improve access to advice that go beyond the traditional model of legal aid provided by solicitors from their offices, including the 'Just Ask!' website and telephone advice services. A national telephone advice service will be available from summer 2004 following a successful pilot.

Magistrates Courts (Closure)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will list each magistrates court that has closed in the last two years, broken down by (a) parliamentary constituency and (b) date of closure.

Christopher Leslie: The responsibility for the number and location of magistrates courts in England and Wales falls to individual Magistrates' Courts Committees (MCCs) to determine, in consultation with their local paying authority. A paying authority that is aggrieved by a determination of an MCC has the right to appeal under section 56(3) of the Justice of the Peace Act 1997 to the Secretary of State for Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) within one month of receipt of the written notice of determination.
	However, MCCs are not required by statute to inform the Department of proposed courthouse closures that are not subject to an appeal. The following table shows the closures of magistrates courts in England and Wales in 2002 and 2003 compiled from the information that is available to my Department:
	
		
			 Court Parliamentary constituency Date of closure 
		
		
			 Bridgenorth Ludlow 31 January 2002 
			 Leominster Leominster 31 January 2002 
			 Fakenham North Suffolk 1 May 2002 
			 Tunbridge Wells Tunbridge Wells 2 June 2002 
			 Beaconsfield Beaconsfield 1 July 2002 
			 Buckingham Buckingham 1 July 2002 
			 Evesham Mid Worcestershire 30 November 2002 
			 Thame Henley 31 January 2003 
			 Droitwich Mid Worcestershire 21 March 2003 
			 Machynlleth Meirionnydd Nant Conwy 31 March 2003 
			 Chester le Street North Durham 31 March 2003 
			 Rugeley Cannock Chase 31 May 2003 
			 Lampeter Ceredigion 9 June 2003 
			 Tenby Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire 30 June 2003 
			 Camberley Surrey Heath 30 June 2003 
			 Trowbridge Westbury 30 September 2003 
			 Whitchurch North Shropshire 03 October 2003 
			 Long Sutton South Holland and The Deepings 31 October 2003 
			 Caistor Gainsborough 31 December 2003 
			 Horncastle Louth and Horncastle County 31 December 2003

Probate

Mark Todd: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what representations he has received concerning delays in confirming probate on settlements relating to the estates of deceased mineworkers; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: None, although I am informed that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has received representations on this issue. Officials at the DTI are working with solicitors on an indemnity form to ensure grants of probate will not be required on low-value offers. However, all the parties involved are aware of their legal obligations to guarantee that compensation is granted to the right individual.

Small Claims Track

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance is given to district judges about how to manage cases in the small claims track in which one party is represented and the other not.

Christopher Leslie: Judicial training is the responsibility of the Judicial Studies Board (JSB), an independent body chaired by Lord Justice Keene. The JSB provides written guidance to district judges on the conduct of small claims cases in its Civil Bench Book and on the particular needs of litigants in person in its Equal Treatment Bench Book. Both publications are publicly available via the JSB's website. They are supplemented by a video on the needs of litigants in person. The video is used as a an aid to syndicate discussion on the Civil Continuation Seminar. All district judges attend a Civil Continuation Seminar at three-yearly intervals.

Small Claims Track

Vera Baird: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what guidance is given to the management of the small claims track about the availability of free legal advice to litigants in the court building.

Christopher Leslie: In 2001 all civil and family courts in England and Wales gained a Quality Mark under the Community Legal Service (CLS) scheme. This confirms that those courts are committed to improving public access to quality information and legal services, by promoting the services of the CLS.
	This involves as a minimum, active signposting and referring people to the CLS directory, but many courts go much further by including reference to the CLS helpline and the 'Just Ask!' Website in leaflets, posters and court correspondence. The allocation questionnaire (a form prescribed by rule) that seeks case management information from the parties currently does not specifically refer to the CLS. In addition a small claims leaflet is sent with the hearing notice, but again there is no reference to free legal advice or where it can be obtained.
	The Court Service is working in partnership with the Legal Services Commission and work is already under way to improve public awareness as to where they can obtain free legal advice. That work includes a full review of computer-produced documentation and forms and two pilot schemes. One pilot is providing from court premises up to 30 minutes FREEFONE access to solicitors and advice agencies and the other is establishing an improved and more pro-active level of information service under the CLS scheme.

Supreme Court

Alan Duncan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what arrangements have been made to find a suitable building for the proposed Supreme Court.

Christopher Leslie: An extensive property search was commissioned to identify suitable locations for the new Supreme Court in central London. Following that, a number of options are being considered, both commercial sites and those already on the Government estate. An evaluation of those sites is currently being conducted to identify the preferred building solution.

Supreme Court

Alan Duncan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether it is the Government's policy to construct a new building for the proposed Supreme Court.

Christopher Leslie: A number of options are being considered. Whatever solution is ultimately chosen, the new building for the Supreme Court will need to provide a secure working environment for judiciary and staff and contain appropriate hearing rooms and ancillary accommodation and facilities. It will also have to provide value for money.

Supreme Court

Alan Duncan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs who has been engaged by the Government to find a suitable location for the proposed Supreme Court.

Christopher Leslie: My Department has reviewed its own estate and consulted the Office of Government Commerce about availability on the London Civil Estate. Additionally, we have approached all Government Departments direct. In order to establish availability in the commercial market, we have engaged the services of property agents Knight Frank to carry out a thorough search of central London locations suitable for the new UK Supreme Court.

Supreme Court

Alan Duncan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much has been spent so far on outside consultants charged with the task of finding a suitable location for the proposed Supreme Court.

Christopher Leslie: My Department has committed fees of approximately 19,000 on the search for potential sites for the new Supreme Court. A further 83,000 has been committed on the analysis and evaluation of the options and completion of the necessary Treasury 'Green Book' style economic appraisals.
	As a result of commercial negotiations, this is slightly lower than the figure given by my right hon. and noble Friend, Lord Falconer, in the other place on the 29 January.

Supreme Court

Alan Duncan: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will publish the specifications set by the Government for a suitable building for the proposed Supreme Court.

Christopher Leslie: The property search is being undertaken on the basis of a requirement for a new or existing building in central London. The space requirement was calculated on the basis of providing at least three hearing rooms requiring 500 m 2 , 14 judicial chambers and ancillary accommodation totalling 1300 m 2 , staff accommodation and facilities totalling 800 m 2 , 400 m 2 of public area and facilities and 550 m 2 for library and records storage.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Access Courses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what projects his Department is piloting to increase the number of part-time students from the poorest communities taking up and completing access courses.

Alan Johnson: My Department is piloting no such projects. However, I have asked the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), which regulates the national recognition of Access Courses, to make proposals which modernise the criteria for access courses, so that they are sufficiently flexible and attractive to meet the needs of today's adult learners. My Department is expecting these proposals in the spring.

Access Courses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations his Department has received on the impact of the benefits system on the take up of part-time access courses.

Alan Johnson: Neither my Department nor that of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions have received any specific representations.

Adult and Community Learning

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many people were enrolled on adult and community learning programmes in each year since 1995;
	(2)  how many people in England and Wales are enrolled on adult and community learning programmes.

Ivan Lewis: The numbers of learners in (i) adult and community learning and adult education courses run through local education authorities; (ii) LearnDirect; and (iii) adult basic skills, are set out as follows.
	The number of enrolments on adult education courses run through local education authorities (LEAs) in England at 1 November each year is published annually in the Statistical First Release, Adult Education Enrolments in England. Data on adult and community learning in Wales were collected and published by the National Assembly for Wales. The following table shows the number of enrolments in England and Wales as at 1 November in each year from 1995 to 2002, the latest year for which figures are available. These figures include enrolments on both courses that do and do not lead to a recognised qualification.
	
		Adult education enrolments(14) in England and Wales: 1995 to 2002 -- Thousand
		
			 November England Wales 
		
		
			 1995 1,153 28 
			 1996 1,232 39 
			 1997 1,062 52 
			 1998 1,115 62 
			 1999 1,054 67 
			 2000 1,041 64 
			 2001 1,052 (15)59 
			 2002 1,042 (15)56 
		
	
	(14) Enrolments are not the same as learners. Individuals on a number of courses are counted more than once.
	(15) Due to changes in data collection, figures from 2001 onwards are not directly comparable with those prior to 2001. Furthermore, data from 2001 relate to the number of enrolments in the first week of December as opposed to November.
	Sources:
	Statistical First Release: Adult Education Enrolments in EnglandNovember 2002
	Statistical First Release: Adult Education in Wales: Local Authority Provision 2000
	Statistical Bulletin: Adult Continuing Education in Wales 2001/02 and 2002/03
	The figures in the following table show the numbers of learners on LearnDirect provision in England and Wales in each year since 2000/01, the earliest year for which figures are available.
	
		Learners (in thousands) on LearnDirect provision in England and Wales 2000/01 to 2002/03
		
			 Academic year England Wales 
		
		
			 2000/01 137 4 
			 2001/02 347 11 
			 2002/03 485 n/a 
		
	
	Sources:
	LearnDirect
	National Council-ELWa
	The final table shows the number of enrolments on adult basic skills courses in England and Wales.
	
		Enrolments (in thousands) on adult basic skills in England and Wales2000/01 to 2002/03
		
			 Academic year England Wales 
		
		
			 2000/01 724 25 
			 2001/02 1,136 25 
			 2002/03 1,230 n/a 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. England enrolment data includes Learning and Skills Council funded learning opportunities; estimates from the Offenders' Learning and Skills Unit; and the Department for Work and Pensions.
	2. Wales enrolment data from 'National Council-ELWa'.

Building Schools for the Future Fund

Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for what reasons the London Borough of Islington was unsuccessful in its recent bid for support from the Building Schools for the Future Fund.

David Miliband: All applications for funding in the first wave of Building Schools for the Future (BSF) were appraised against the criteria we set out in our invitation to all authorities to apply for prioritisation. These criteria were need, as shown by low school standards and relative social deprivation indicated by high levels of take-up for free schools meals, the strength of the authority's educational vision and its capacity to deliver a large procurement project to support that vision. All proposals were rigorously appraised against these criteria and there was stringent moderation to ensure fairness. We prioritised projects which best met these criteria. Unfortunately, total demand was several times the total of over 2 billion we have available for BSF in 200506. All unsuccessful wave 1 authorities are automatically eligible, without further application, for prioritisation in subsequent waves of BSF, along with all authorities which expressed interest in later inclusion. Prioritisation of wave 2 and beyond will be on need as shown by low school standards and take-up of free school meals. We aim to announce prioritisation of authorities in further waves of BSF funding later this year.

Departmental Minutes

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it is his Department's policy to make notes of (a) meetings and (b) telephone conversations involving Ministers; and under what circumstances no notes would be taken.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 20 January 2004
	The Department follows the central Guidance on the Management of Private Office Papers, which makes clear that good record management procedures are necessary not least to ensure accountability and provide an audit trail. Among the records covered by the guidance are Ministers' meetings and telephone conversations.

Funds/Grants

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the (a) standards funds and (b) special grants in operation; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The following table shows the Standards Fund grants and special grants allocated by the Department of Education and Skills in 200304. The figures include Government grant and local authority contributions where required.
	
		Standards Fund Grants 200304
		
			  Allocations( million) 
		
		
			 Leadership Incentive Grant 174.9 
			 Targeted Improvement Grant 38.3 
			 Special Educational Needs 79.0 
			 Drugs, Alcohol and Tobacco Education and Prevention 12.4 
			 Study Support (National) 54.5 
			 Study Support (Excellence in Cities) 18.8 
			 Study Support: Quality Development Programme 0.6 
			 Investigation and Referral Support Co-ordinators 1.2 
			 Vulnerable Children 80.1 
			 National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies 211.9 
			 Primary Behaviour Pilot 4.3 
			 Key Stage 3 Strategy 218.9 
			 Ethnic Minority Achievement 155.0 
			 Raising Achievement of African Caribbean Pupils Project 0.5 
			 National Primary Strategy English as an Additional Language Pilot Project 0.4 
			 Gypsy-Traveller Achievement Project 0.2 
			 Education Health Partnerships 5.7 
			 Music Services 54.5 
			 Playing for Success 4.7 
			 Early Excellence Centres 16.4 
			 School Achievement Awards 59.1 
			 New Excellence Clusters 29.3 
			 Behaviour Improvement Programme 65.9 
			 Aimhigher (pre-16) 25.4 
			 Summer Schools for Gifted and Talented Children 3.8 
			 Gifted and Talented Children: Sports Grant 0.3 
			 Specialist Schools 195.2 
			 Beacon Schools 40.6 
			 City Learning Centres 26.0 
			 Diversity Pathfinders 0.7 
			 Extended Schools 7.7 
			 Federations 3.3 
			 Leading Edge Schools 5.6 
			 1419 Pathfinders 9.0 
			 Enterprise Learning Pathfinders 4.7 
			 Key Stage 2 Language Pathfinders 3.0 
			 Golden Hello Payments 7.1 
			 Training Schools 4.7 
			 Advanced Skills Teachers 57.4 
			 School Support Staff 268.0 
			 School Support Staff: Training and Development 35.5 
			 LEA Support for School Workforce Remodelling 15.0 
			 Teacher Sabbaticals 9.9 
			 Early Professional Development Pilot Scheme 8.8 
			 Transforming School Workforce Pathfinder 1.0 
			 Fast Track Pay for Teachers 0.9 
			 Fresh Start and New Partnerships 19.9 
			 Information Communication Technology in Schools: Infrastructure 284.2 
			 Information Communications Technology In Schools: Broadband Connectivity 71.0 
			 Devolved Formula Capital 561.9 
			 Seed Challenge Capital 60.0 
			 Staff Workspaces 25.0 
			 Capital Funding for Nursery Education in Disadvantaged Areas 20.0 
			 Capital Projects 49.2 
			 e-Learning Credits 99.9 
			 Interactive Whiteboards (London) 15.0 
			 Laptops for Teachers 59.9 
			 Electronic Registration Systems in Secondary Schools 1.5 
			   
			  Other grants paid through the Standards Fund payment system 
			 School Standards Grant 800.1 
			 Additional Budget Support Grant 28.2 
			 London Budget Support Grant 11.3 
			 Performance Pay Funding 202.5 
			 Teachers Threshold Grant 549.9 
			 Capital Flexibility Funding for Voluntary Aided Schools 7.7 
			   
			 Special Grants 20032004  
			 Excellence in Cities and Excellence Clusters 219.1 
			 Excellent and 3* Education Authorities(16) 27.4 
			 Condition Funding 445.3 
			 Total 5,579.5 
		
	
	(16) Grant for local authorities rated Excellent and 3* Education under the Audit Commission's Comprehensive Performance Assessment 2002

Further and Higher Education

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the rate of participation in (a) higher and (b) further education was in each ward in each of the principal seaside towns in England and Wales in the latest month for which figures are available, listed in descending order, with figures for Welsh seaside towns disaggregated; and if he will make a statement on measures the Government are taking to increase participation in each case.

Alan Johnson: holding answer 23 February 2004
	The information covering England is not held centrally; figures for Wales are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
	Data on the percentage of students participating in education or training are not calculated for areas smaller than LEAs, as reliable estimates cannot be made.
	The available data for FE show participation rates by LEA for 16 and 17 year olds, and are published in an annual National Statistics Bulletin, 'Participation in Education and Training by 16 and 17 Year Olds in Each Local Area in England'. This latest bulletin is published solely on the DfES website: http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsqatewav/DB/SBU/b000369/index.shtml
	Table three gives participation rates for 16 year olds in full-time education by Local Education Authority, 1998 to 2000, the latest year for which figures are available. Copies of the Bulletin have been placed in the Libraries.
	The available data for HE show the proportion of 18 year olds from each LEA who were accepted for entry to full-time undergraduate courses, and are shown in the table.
	The Aimhigher programme seeks to improve the attainment of young people in disadvantaged areas, and to raise their aspirations towards higher education. In 2004, Aimhigher will merge with Partnerships for Progression, a programme funded jointly by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Learning and Skills Council. This will create a new, national outreach programme which will operate most intensively in deprived areas. The new programme will cover all seaside towns in England.

Learning and Skills Council

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what buildings are owned by the Learning and Skills Council; what the estimated value is of each; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Modern Apprenticeships

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many businesses provided places for modern apprenticeships for the first time in (a) 200102 and (b) 200203 to support trainees receiving training through (i) further education colleges and (ii) private training organisations.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. I have therefore asked Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, to write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and to place a copy of his reply in the Library.

Ofsted

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost of Ofsted was in each year from 199798 to 200506 (estimate); how many staff were employed in each year; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, David Bell, will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of his letter in the Library.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will answer the question, reference no. 143066, tabled by the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham on 4 December 2003.

Alan Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I have given today, and I apologise for the delay in replying. The data he requested on students completing three year courses in 2003 have only recently become available.

Portsmouth City Council

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what factors underlay the decision of his Department to require Portsmouth City Council to consolidate the one-off additional budget supplementary grant for 200304 into the 200405 settlement.

David Miliband: In 200304, the Department made available an additional budget support grant of 28 million to ensure all authorities received at least a minimum increase of 3.2 per cent. per pupil, after taking account of the effect of the Standards Fund and teachers' pension changes.
	Portsmouth's share of this was 891,000. This grant has been added to the 200304 baseline and Portsmouth's 5 per cent. per pupil Schools Formula Spending Share increase is on top of this enlarged baseline. Therefore, the SFSS for 200405 incorporates the 891,000 and the Government expect authorities to passport the full increase in SFSS into the Schools Budget. Portsmouth's Revenue Support Grant for 200405 also incorporates this funding as the increase in Revenue Support Grant of 4.2 per cent. was also on top of a baseline that included the 891,000 grant.

Portsmouth City Council

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance he has given to (a) Portsmouth City Council and (b) other local education authorities on funding his 4 per cent. pledge to schools in 200405; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The Department has provided detailed guidance to local education authorities concerning the funding changes for 200405 through the teachernet website and through direct letters. The Department ensured that every authority received an increase in Schools Formula Spending Share per pupil of at least 5 per cent., compared to the 4 per cent. minimum guarantee for schools. The Department continues to be in dialogue with the handful of authorities that are having difficulty in implementing the guarantee.

Removing Barriers To Achievement

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what sources of funding will be made available to fund Removing Barriers to Achievement; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: Removing Barriers to Achievement sets out our long-term plans for working in partnership with local authorities, early years settings, schools and the health and voluntary sectors to improve provision for children with special educational needs.
	The Strategy contains a programme of sustained action and review over a number of years. The Government have invested significant sums in education with a real terms increase of over 25 per cent. since 1997. Total estimated gross expenditure on pupils with SEN for 200304, including estimated spending on centrally funded SEN activities is almost 3.5 billionas reported by local education authorities in February 2004 as part of their Section 52 Budget Statements. The SEN Strategy focuses on getting the best value for money and using those substantial resources as efficiently and effectively as possible. At national level, improving provision for children with special educational needs will be integral to our existing and developing national strategies and programmes. Similarly, the work set out in the Strategy which is designed to build our evidence base, develop and test out different approaches and spread best practice will also be funded from within existing resources.
	Decisions on resources for all areas of public spending from 200607 onwards will be taken later in the year as part of the Government's Spending Review.

School (Corporate Advertising)

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will estimate the revenue generated for schools in England through corporate advertising in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many schools in England are receiving revenue from corporate advertising; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  if he will list the companies advertising in schools in England; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The Department does not collect this information.

School Buildings

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list, for each local authority with one or more schools designated under section 104 and section 100 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, how many schools so designated are proposed for (a) new building, (b) major refurbishment or remodelling of existing building, (c) minor repairs and refurbishment to existing buildings and (d) no capital works in the local education authority's response to the Building Schools for the Future initiative.

David Miliband: holding answer 25 February 2004
	Local education authorities (LEAs) submitted proposals and expressions of interest for Building Schools for the Future (BSF) outlining what sort of work they envisaged for their schools and included 118 selective schools. The following table gives the breakdown requested. Given the long planning period of 10 to 15 years from 200506, these figures should be treated with some caution.
	
		Table listing for each local authority with one or more schools designated under section 104 and section 100 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, how many schools so designated are proposed for (a) new building, (b) major refurbishment or remodelling of existing building, (c) minor repairs and refurbishment to existing buildings and (d) no capital works in the local education authority's response to the building schools for the future initiative
		
			 LEA Number of selective schools Type A(17) Type B(18) Type C(19) Type D(20) 
		
		
			 Birmingham 8 0 8 0 0 
			 Bournemouth 2 2 0 0 0 
			 Bromley 2 1 2 2 2 
			 Buckinghamshire 13 10 13 13 13 
			 Calderdale 2 2 1 0 0 
			 Devon 1 1 1 1 1 
			 Enfield 1 1 1 1 0 
			 Essex 4 4 4 4 3 
			 Kent 32 32 22 0 11 
			 Kingston upon Thames 2 1 2 2 0 
			 Kirklees 1 1 0 0 0 
			 Liverpool 1 0 0 0 1 
			 Medway 6 6 6 6 4 
			 North Yorkshire 3 2 2 0 0 
			 Plymouth 3 2 2 2 0 
			 Poole 2 0 2 2 0 
			 Reading 2 2 2 2 0 
			 Redbridge 2 2 2 2 0 
			 Southend-on-Sea 4 3 4 4 4 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 1 1 1 1 0 
			 Sutton 5 5 5 2 4 
			 Telford and Wrekin 2 2 1 1 1 
			 Torbay 3 3 1 2 3 
			 Trafford 7 7 5 2 0 
			 Walsall 2 2 0 0 0 
			 Warwickshire 5 5 5 5 3 
			 Wiltshire 1 1 1 0 1 
			 Wolverhampton 1 0 1 1 0 
		
	
	(17) New build
	(18) Refurbishment and remodelling of existing buildings
	(19) Minor refurbishment with limited repairs to existing buildings
	(20) No work proposed
	For each school LEAs were requested to indicate what percentage of work fell into each of the types above. For example a school may have 25 per cent. type A, 25 per cent. type B, 25 per cent. type C and 25 per cent. type D. The table shows the number of selective schools included in each LEA and the numbers of those where some work is included in each type of work. Some LEAs chose not to give school details in their expressions of interest and, therefore, no information is available for these.

Specialist Schools

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list each (a) specialist school and (b) non-specialist school designated under section 104 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, together with the number of pupils they have selected in each of the last six years.

David Miliband: holding answer 25 February 2004
	Section 104 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 relates to designation of schools as grammar schools. Of the 164 maintained grammar schools in England, 98 are also specialist schools. The list below shows which grammar schools are specialist and which are not.
	Grammar schools select the whole of their intake. Information is not held centrally on the actual numbers admitted by each of these schools.

Specialist Schools

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many specialist schools are receiving sponsorship from corporate and charitable sponsors.

Charles Clarke: All specialist schools are required to raise a proportion of the 50,000 unconditional sponsorship from corporate or charitable sponsors. Therefore, the 463 schools which became operational as specialist schools in September 2003, and the 240 which will be operational from September 2004, all receive funding from these sources.

Specialist Schools

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the corporate sponsors sponsoring specialist schools.

David Miliband: All specialist schools are required to raise a proportion of the 50,000 unconditional sponsorship from corporate or charitable sponsors. It would be disproportionately costly to provide information on all corporate sponsors currently sponsoring individual specialist schools. In addition, some sponsors prefer to remain anonymous. However, the Specialist Schools Trust, who are charged with raising sponsorship for specialist schools, will be able to provide a list of some of the main corporate sponsors of specialist schools. I will write to you with this information once permission has been obtained from the relevant sponsors.

Strategic Area Reviews

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made by learning and skills councils in carrying out strategic area reviews; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: Last April all local Learning and Skills Councils (LSCs) started strategic area reviews of post-16 LSC-funded provision. These reviews assess the extent to which the current pattern of post-16 learning in each local area meets the needs of learners, employers and the community and are a key driver for change.
	Each local LSC has developed project plans, put in place local review arrangements and agreed a timetable for the review process. The majority of local LSCs are now completing the information gathering and analysis stage of the review and some are now starting to consider possible strategic options. There will be full consultation with local stakeholders throughout the reviews.
	By Spring 2005 most local LSCs will have completed the reviews and published resulting outcomes.

Teacher Training Agency

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost of the Teacher Training Agency was in the last financial year; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: In 200203, the annual administrative cost of the Teacher Training Agency was 9.369 million.

Teachers (Fast Track Recruitment)

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost of the Fast Track teacher recruiting programme for each year from 200102 to 200506; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The Fast Track teaching programme is a long-term investment in developing effective leadership in schools; it is not primarily a recruitment programme. So far this year, applications are 19 per cent. higher than they were in the same period last year. The number of Fast Track teachers and trainees currently on the programme is more than double last year's number.
	The cost of Fast Track for the years 200105 is shown in the table. Future budgets are subject to the current Spending Review.
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 200001 4.60 
			 200102 8.27 
			 200203 8.07 
			 200304 (21)13.3  
			 200405 (22)18.5  
		
	
	(21) Estimated end of year forecast.
	(22) Estimate, dependent on recruitment levels.

Universities

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students started three year courses at UK universities in 199798 and 19992000; and how many students graduated from those universities with degrees in 200001 and 200203.

Alan Johnson: The available figures are given in the tables. Students starting courses lasting three years in 1997/98 would normally graduate in 1999/2000.
	
		Full time first degree entrants on courses expected to last three years at UK HE institutions
		
			 Year of entry Number 
		
		
			 1996/97 190,395 
			 1997/98 201,948 
			 1998/99 197,073 
			 1999/2000 196,355 
			 2000/01 214,348 
		
	
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency
	
		Full time first degree graduating from courses expected to last three years at UK HE institutions
		
			 Year of graduation Number 
		
		
			 1998/99 150,728 
			 1999/2000 152,414 
			 2000/01 150,890 
			 2001/02 153,047 
			 2002/03 159,047 
		
	
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency

Universities UK Spending Review

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the Universities UK Spending Review 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Johnson: 'Achieving our vision', the Universities UK 2004 spending review submission for England and Northern Ireland, provides details of their assessment of the financial needs of the higher education sector over the next few years. Decisions on resources for all areas of public spending from 2006/07 onwards will be taken later in the year as part of the Government's Spending Review.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the bus industry has achieved the target of 99.5 per cent. reliability agreed between his Department and the Confederation of Passenger Transport; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Reliability is defined as the percentage of scheduled bus mileage actually run, excluding lost mileage outside operators' control. The baseline for the reliability target is 98.2 per cent. in England in the year to March 2001. Reliability rose to 98.5 per cent. in the year to March 2003. However, it was estimated to have fallen back to 98.2 per cent. (seasonally adjusted) in the period July-September 2003, the most recent quarter for which data are available. We are considering the reasons for this with the Confederation of Passenger Transport.

Bus Services

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many applications he has received from local authorities to implement bus quality contracts; how many statutory bus quality partnerships have been registered; and which local authorities have introduced them.

Tony McNulty: We have to date received no applications for bus quality contracts schemes, though I recently announced the Government's intention to consult on the proposal to reduce the 21-month minimum period that must elapse between the making of a quality contracts scheme and its coming into force. No statutory bus quality partnerships have yet been registered, although informal partnerships are placed in over 130 areas across the country. Plans by West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority and Birmingham City Council for the introduction of the first statutory quality partnership, on the Route 67 bus corridor in Birmingham, are very well advanced.

Bus Services

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are employed by the Vehicles Inspectorate to undertake bus quality checks; and how many person hours were devoted to bus quality checks in the last year for which figures are available.

David Jamieson: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA), formerly the Vehicle Inspectorate, employs 15 Bus Compliance Officers, two of whom are funded directly by the Welsh Assembly. The Bus Compliance Officers carry out monitoring of local bus services outside London, which involves checking that vehicles comply with their registered timetables and routes. The Officers also investigate complaints about possible instances of non-compliance. In 200203 18,725 man hours were devoted to these activities.
	VOSA also employs some 300 Vehicle Examiners who carry out roadworthiness checks on passenger service vehicles (buses, coaches and mini buses licensed to carry more than eight passengers) as part of their duties. During 200203 24,786 vehicles were examined in spot and fleet roadworthiness checks. Approximately 32,500 man hours were devoted to this work. This figure cannot be broken down to identify the proportion of time spent solely on bus checks.

Bus Services

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who the five worst bus operators in terms of punctuality and reliability were in each of the areas covered by the Traffic Commissioners in the last year for which figures are available; which operators have been fined by the Traffic Commissioners for poor performance; and what fines have been paid.

Tony McNulty: Information is not available in the form requested.
	In 200203, across all traffic areas, traffic commissioners held 41 disciplinary public inquiries relating to local bus services, and in 22 cases financial penalties were imposed (although some were subsequently subject to appeal to the Transport Tribunal), the majority relating to punctuality or reliability. It is not possible to rank them in order of severity, given the wide variation in scale of operation and other factors.
	Since February 2003 fines totalling 122,533 have been paid by bus operators following disciplinary action by traffic commissioners.
	Further details, including breakdown by traffic area are available in tables 17.1 and 17.2 of the Traffic Commissioners' Annual Reports for 200203. Copies of which are in the Libraries of the House.

Bus Services

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many (a) villages and (b) towns have been served by bus services in (i) Devon and (ii) the South West in each year since 1993; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many (a) daily and (b) weekly bus routes to (i) villages and (ii) towns have operated in (A) Devon; and (B) the South West in each year since 1993; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  how many rural bus routes served (a) Devon and (b) the South West in each year since 1993; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many (a) daily and (b) weekly rural bus services there were in each year since 1993 in (i) Devon and (ii) the South West; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is not available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Dibden Bay Container Port

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if he has made a decision on whether the Dibden Bay container port will be built;
	(2)  on what date he received the inspector's report resulting from the public inquiry into the Dibden Bay container port application; and when it will be published;
	(3)  whether it is his policy to approve the building of one container port in advance of receiving the report of the public inquiry into proposals to build another container port simultaneously elsewhere;
	(4)  whether it is his intention to (a) make and (b) publish his decisions on the proposals for container ports at (i) Dibden Bay and (ii) Shell Haven (London Gateway) at the same time;
	(5)  if he will make it his policy not to publish his decision on the Dibden Bay container port proposal prior to the publication of the report of the public inquiry into the creation of a New Forest national park.

David Jamieson: It is the Government's policy to consider each proposal on its merits, having regard to relevant development considerations. The inspector's report of the public inquiry into the Dibden Bay container port application was received in my Department at the end of September 2003 and will be published when a decision is made and announced.
	The publication of the report of the public inquiry into the creation of a New Forest National Park is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Passenger Numbers

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the most recent Passenger in Excess of Capacity figures are for the (a) morning and (b) evening peaks in (i) West Yorkshire, (ii) Greater Manchester, (iii) the West Midlands, (iv) South Yorkshire, (v) Merseyside, (vi) Strathclyde and (vii) London and the South East.

Tony McNulty: Passengers In Excess of Capacity (PIXC) is a mechanism applied exclusively in London and the South East and on Edinburgh commuter services across the Forth Bridge. The results of the 2003 counts have not yet been produced. The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) published the results of the 2002 counts in their On Track publication in June 2003, a copy of which is in the Library of the House. Passenger Transport Executives may apply similar regimes in their areas, but they do not use the same criteria and are not comparable with the SRA PIXC figures.

Railways

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what work (a) the Strategic Rail Authority and (b) Network Rail has been engaged in the Eddisbury constituency in the last 18 months, broken down by location; what the costs are of such works, broken down by project; what surveys were commissioned prior to such works being carried out into the extent of damage caused by badgers at or near in-use railway lines; what consultations were undertaken in each relevant local community prior to works being commissioned and carried out on alternative methods of removing badgers from current setts; and what the timescale is for (i) post-audit and (ii) value for money exercises to be carried out on these projects.

Tony McNulty: This is an operational matter for Network Rail. I have passed this to Network Rail who will respond directly to the hon. Member.

Railways

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to ensure a competitive market for existing railway rolling stock once existing contracts inherited from British Rail have expired.

Tony McNulty: The Strategic Rail Authority is charged with securing value for money in rolling stock procurement. As part of that responsibility, it is considering how best to deal with the large number of rolling stock leases which fall due for renewal shortly. Whether more general changes are needed to the present arrangements in this area is among the issues that are being considered as part of the rail review announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 19 January.

Railways

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the most recent reliability levels of rail services are for (a) Great Britain and (b) each region; and what policies he is implementing to ensure the achievement of the 99.5 per cent. reliability target.

Tony McNulty: The Government requires Train Operating Companies (TOCs) to set themselves reliability targets in their Passengers' Charters. Reliability performance is a measure of trains run/cancelled and does not include punctuality. TOCs publish details of their reliability performance at train stations every four weeks. If reliability falls below the trigger point set out in the Passengers' Charter, season ticket holders can claim a discount on renewal of their ticket. Within this framework, operational plans for avoiding cancellations are a matter for TOCs.
	The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) measures train performance by the Public Performance Measure (PPM) which combines reliability and punctuality. It is published by train operator in the SRA's quarterly National Rail Trends (NRT). The latest publication covers performance to the year ending 30 September 2003 and is placed in the Library of the House.

Recruitment Advertising

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his Department's expenditure on recruitment advertising was in each of the last three years, broken down by publication; and what proportion of such expenditure was (a) to advertise vacant posts and (b) in the form of other general recruitment advertising.

Tony McNulty: The Department for Transport has only been in existence since May 2002.
	The Department uses the most appropriate publication for recruitment advertising, be it national, regional, trade magazine or website, depending on the nature of the vacancy. To provide a breakdown between publications would be at disproportionate cost.
	Below are details of the costs incurred by DfT (Central) for recruitment advertising for vacant posts.
	200203: 241,868.87
	200304 to date: 461,262.81
	This does not include the Departments Agencies as they have responsibility for their own recruitment below Senior Civil Service. Nor does it include NDPBs. These costs could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.
	The Department for Transport has not participated in a general recruitment since May 2002.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Copyright/Trade Marks (Offences)

Vincent Cable: To ask the Solicitor-General how many Crown prosecutions have been made for counterfeiting and copyright theft (a) since the introduction of the Copyright etc. and Trade Marks (Offences and Enforcement) Act 2002 and (b) in each of the last seven years; and how many prosecutions resulted in convictions.

Harriet Harman: The CPS does not hold central records on the numbers of particular offences prosecuted or resulting in conviction. Information at this level of detail could be obtained only by examining individual case files, some of which may be held in CPS offices and some in central archives and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Some files will have been destroyed in accordance with Public Records Act practice.
	Offences under this legislation are also prosecuted by other agencies such as Trading Standards, the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST), and the Federation Against Copyright Theft (FACT).

Guantanamo Bay Detainees

Gary Streeter: To ask the Solicitor-General what consideration was given during the Attorney-General's recent discussions with US officials to proceedings for treason being brought by the Crown Prosecution Service against the British detainees in Guantanamo Bay.

Harriet Harman: The Attorney-General has explained to the US Administration the options for the possible prosecution for treason of the British detainees in Guantanamo Bay. As I set out in my reply to the hon. Member dated 5 January 2004, Official Report, column 74W, decisions to prosecute are made independently by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors. The Attorney-General may be consulted on prosecution decisions. A prosecution will be brought if there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and it is in the public interest to prosecute. If a decision to prosecute is made all relevant charges will be considered in deciding what charge an individual should face.

Guantanamo Bay Detainees

Gary Streeter: To ask the Solicitor-General what representations the Attorney-General received from the United States Administration on the treatment that United Kingdom citizens detained in Guantanamo Bay would receive on repatriation to the UK.

Harriet Harman: The Attorney-General has had no discussions with the US Administration about the treatment that the British nationals detained in Guantanamo Bay would receive on repatriation to the UK, but there have been discussions on this issue involving other UK Government officials. The Government does not intend to provide details of confidential exchanges between the British and US Governments.

Guantanamo Bay Detainees

Gary Streeter: To ask the Solicitor-General what progress has been made in obtaining the repatriation of the British detainees in Guantanamo Bay; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Member to the statement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 19 February, in which he explained that five of the UK detainees would be returning to the UK in the next few weeks and that the Government continues to discuss with the US the situation of the remaining four. The Government's position remains that the detainees should either be tried in accordance with international standards or they should be returned to the UK.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Access to Work

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many complaints the agency Access to Work has received over delays in processing applications in the latest three years for which data are available;
	(2)  what targets the agency Access for Work has for the processing of applications for grants for equipment needed by disabled people in their places of work; and what has been its measured performance against this target in the last three years for which data are available;
	(3)  what the performance targets are for the agency Access to Work; and what its measured performance has been against these targets in the last three years for which data are available.

Maria Eagle: Access to Work is a programme run by Jobcentre Plus, which helps disabled people to get or keep jobs by contributing towards the extra employment costs that arise because of their disability. It provides practical assistance to help disabled people compete on a more equal basis with their non-disabled colleagues by removing obstacles linked to disability.
	For the last three years, throughout the UK, Access to Work teams have received approximately 60 written complaints specifically about delays in processing applications. Over the same period, there were over 40,000 new applications for help through the programme.
	Access to Work is measured against two key performance standards: first, decisions on eligibility for help should be made within 10 days of an application; second, provision of first help to applicant should be within 60 days of an application.
	For the year April 2001 to March 2002, 98 per cent. of decisions on help and 87 per cent. of first help to applicants were within standards; for the year 200203 97 per cent. of decisions on help and 85 per cent. of first help to applicants were within standards. This is in the context of continuing increases in both numbers helped and programme spend.
	For year to date, April 2003 to December 2003, 99 per cent. of decisions on help and 85 per cent. of first help to applicants are within standards.

Child Support Agency

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will investigate the Child Support Agency's treatment of Mrs. Christine Last of Leeds, Kent, case number YW436272D; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Hugh Robertson, dated 26 February 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will investigate the Child Support Agency's treatment of Mrs Christine Last of Leeds, Kent, case number YW436272D; and if he will make a statement.
	As individual cases are confidential I will write separately to you about Mrs Last's case.

Economic Inactivity

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of economic inactivity on the children of economically inactive parents.

Chris Pond: There are a number of DWP reports in this area that highlight a range of outcomes, mainly negative, for children whose parent or parents are not in employment. The reports are as follows and are available in the Library.
	Millar, J. and Ridge, T. (2001) Families, poverty, work and care. A review of the literature on lone parents and low-income couple families with children. DWP research report 153.
	Ermisch J., Francesconi M. and Pevalin D., (2001), 'Outcomes for children of poverty', DWP research report no. 158.
	Vegeris S. and McKay S., (2002), 'Low/moderate families in Britain: Changes in Living Standards 19992000', DWP research report 165.
	External research has also substantiated the findings of DWP commissioned research.

Economic Inactivity

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the relationship between economic inactivity and social exclusion.

Chris Pond: The Government recognize that inactivity and social exclusion are closely related. An analysis of the extent and causes of inactivity and policies to address these is set out in the report Full Employment in Every Region, produced jointly by the DWP and the Treasury and published in December 2003. The Government have made tackling poverty and social exclusion a key priority since 1997 and their strategy and progress is outlined in the DWP report Opportunity for All; Fifth Annual Report 2003. Both reports are available in the Library.
	Two other studies which show that becoming economically active and moving into work is associated with increased social inclusion, improved living standards, and self esteem are also available in the Library. These are Marsh and Rowlingson (2001), Low/Moderate-income families in Britain: Changes in 19992000. DWP Research Report 165 and Marsh and Perry (2003), Family Change 1999 to 2001. DWP Research Report 180.

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the status of Dupuytren's contracture is under the assessment criteria for industrial injuries disablement benefit.

Des Browne: Dupuytren's contracture is not a prescribed disease under the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit scheme.
	The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) has recently commenced a review of work-related upper limb disorders which it expects to complete by the middle of 2005.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Brighton and Hove Local Plan

Norman Baker: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether the report of the planning inspector into the Brighton and Hove Local Plan will constitute a material consideration in respect of his determination of the called-in application proposing a football stadium at Falmer;
	(2)  what weight he intends to attach to representations he receives between the closing of the public inquiry into the proposal for a football stadium at Falmer and his decision on the report of the inspector handling that inquiry.

Keith Hill: The Inspector's report into the applications made by Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club are currently with my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister for decision. For reasons of procedural propriety the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is unable to discuss the details of the case.
	The decisions will be made on the basis of all the relevant available evidence. Representations received after the close of the public inquiry will be taken into account as far as they are relevant. In general terms the weight to be given to a material consideration will be considered as part of the decision process. It will be clear from the decision letter when issued what matters have been taken into account and the weight that has been attached to any particular matter.

Business Rate Relief

Brian Cotter: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact that his Department's proposals for business rate relief will have on businesses with a rateable value of more than 8,000.

Phil Hope: In the White Paper Strong Local LeadershipQuality Public Services, December 2001, it stated that if relief were granted to all properties with a rateable value of under 8,000, then the funding of such relief would require an addition of 2.5 per cent. to the bills of other properties. However, as also stated in the White Paper, the relief will only be available where a property with a rateable value of under 8,000 is the only rateable property occupied by the business concerned. This will ensure that relief goes to small businesses, rather than small properties which may be owned in large number by a large business. This rule also means that the addition of 2.5 per cent. to the bills of other ratepayers may be too high an estimate. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is therefore undertaking research to determine the number of businesses that will be eligible for the relief and the addition required to the bills of other ratepayers to fund the relief. The results of this research will be available by July 2004.

Council Tax (Capping)

Christopher Chope: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he intends to exercise his capping powers in respect of the council tax increases announced by (a) Dorset Police Authority, (b) Dorset Fire Authority, (c) Christchurch borough council and (d) East Dorset district council.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will take a view on whether to exercise its capping powers once the budget information from all authorities has been considered.

Houses in Multiple Occupation

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many houses in multiple occupation there are in each ward in each principal seaside town in England, listed in descending order; and if he will make a statement on action he is taking to require landlords to improve housing standards in houses in multiple occupation.

Keith Hill: Information about the number of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) by ward in seaside towns is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Housing Bill, introduced on 8 December 2003 is aimed at raising the standards of management and physical conditions in HMOs by requiring rented properties that represent the greatest risks to their occupants to be licensed by the local authority. Licensing will ensure that suitable managers suitably manage such properties. By identifying where they are and who their landlords are, the physical conditions in such properties can be more easily targeted under Part 1 of the Bill. Local authorities will be required to license larger HMOs of three storeys or more that are occupied by five persons. They will also have discretionary powers to license categories of smaller HMOs where there are particular problems that need to be addressed and when, following a local consultation, it is decided that alternative measures would not be entirely effective.

Planning Application (Vale of White Horse)

Evan Harris: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the reasons were for the delay between the Government Office for the South-East informing the Vale of White Horse district council that its decision to permit the development in the case of the planning application (SUN/2963/11 or GOSE/103/3/VALE/29) for residential development on the Foxcombe Road site of the old Warnborough College on Boars Hill, near Oxford, was in breach of direction from the Secretary of State and his direction that the planning permission be referred to him.

Keith Hill: The 'decision' of the Vale of White Horse district council to 'grant' planning permission in December 1999, despite an Article 14 holding direction being in place, related to a previous application (SUN/2963/9), which was called in February 2000 but was subsequently withdrawn after the court action concerning the validity of the 'permission' was resolved in October 2000. Application SUN/2963/11 was referred to the Government Office of the South East on 13 December 2000 and called in on 19 February 2001.

Planning Application (Vale of White Horse)

Evan Harris: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he has taken to amend his procedures following his submission to judgments in the High Court in April 2002 and September 2003 in the case of the planning application (SUN/2963/11 or GOSE/103/3/VALE/29) for residential development on the Foxcombe Road site of the old Warnborough College on Boars Hill, near Oxford.

Keith Hill: This particular case is unusual in its protracted nature. It is not considered necessary to amend the procedures and it is considered unlikely that this case would set a precedent for others. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will of course keep this under review.

HEALTH

Agenda for Change

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what flexibilities exist within Agenda for Change to provide high cost of living supplements to wage payments.

John Hutton: Under the proposed new pay system, Agenda for Change, current arrangements for London allowances will be replaced by a new harmonised system of high cost area supplements. Any changes to the value or geographic coverage of these supplements will usually be agreed at national level. National health service employing organisations will also have the flexibility to pay recruitment and retention premiums, subject to consultation with neighbouring employers and strategic health authorities.

Care Workers

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his policy towards the employment in the UK of care workers from (a) non-EU European countries, (b) Asia and (c) Africa.

John Hutton: holding answer 11 February 2004
	It is the responsibility of individual employers to ensure that their recruitment policies and procedures comply with current legislation whether recruiting within England or abroad.
	Following research and advice obtained from a broad range of industry bodies, in consultation with Work Permits (UK)'s healthcare sector panel, the role of care assistant (or other occupational roles involving duties and responsibilities at a similar level) has been identified as not satisfying the skills criteria of the work permit arrangements. Consequently, even though employers may be experiencing difficulty in recruiting for posts of this level, as the job itself does not satisfy the criteria of the arrangements, applications would necessarily be refused.

Children Green Paper

Gillian Shephard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role is envisaged for school nurses arising from proposals for improved child protection in the Children Green Paper.

John Hutton: holding answer 9 February 2004
	It is expected that school nurses will continue to contribute to child protection, working with others to identify, monitor and support vulnerable school aged children and young people. As a result of the Green Paper, school nurses will be expected to work more closely with education and social care, contributing to common assessments and working in integrated children's teams, through initiatives such as extended schools. There will be a greater focus on early intervention and prevention and school nurses will need to ensure that children and young people are involved in decision making.
	The chief nursing officer is currently undertaking a review of the nursing/ midwifery and health visiting contribution to children at risk, which will include school nursing.

Consultant Contract

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the cost to public funds of the consultant contract.

John Hutton: The estimated costs of the new consultant contract, as agreed between the Department, the British Medical Association and NHS Confederation, are around 135 million in 200304, rising to around 250 million in 200506.

Consultant Contract

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's timetable is for implementation of the new consultant contract.

John Hutton: Following the agreement reached last year with the British Medical Association and the NHS Confederation, national health service trusts and other employing organisations were asked to use the new NHS consultants' contract for all new appointments advertised after 31 October 2003 and to give all existing consultants the opportunity to indicate by 31 October 2003 whether they wished to give a commitment to the new contract. For existing consultants, the timetable assumed that, once a commitment had been given, trusts and consultants should seek to agree new job plans typically within three months, but the timetable recognised that trusts might need slightly longer than this to complete the process for all their consultants. We expect that the great majority of consultants who have given a commitment to the new contract will have agreed job plans by 31 March 2004. Where, exceptionally, there are any consultants whose job plans have taken longer to complete than other consultants, NHS trusts and other employing organisations have been asked to agree arrangements with their strategic health authority to complete the process as early as possible in the new financial year.

Consultant Contract

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on delays in the implementation of the new consultant contract.

John Hutton: We are aware that the British Medical Association and some individuals have expressed concerns about the time needed for trusts to complete the process of agreeing new job plans with their consultants. The timetable agreed with the British Medical Association explicitly recognised that trusts may need longer than three months to agree job plans. We have nonetheless asked trusts to ensure that they complete the great majority of new job plans by 31 March, while continuing to ensure that job planning delivers the intended benefits of the new consultants' contract for national health service patient care.

Consultant Contract

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been allocated for implementation of the new consultant contract; and whether that funding has been spent.

John Hutton: For 200304, additional funding worth 0.3 per cent. of allocations (around 135 million) has been allocated to primary care trusts to meet the estimated costs of the new consultant contract, with a further 0.1 per cent. in 200405 and a further 0.1 per cent. in 200506. Information on the expenditure so far committed to meet the costs of the new contract is not available centrally.

Consultant Contract

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on the funding of the new consultant contract; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: A number of national health service organisations have sought further information from the Department about the basis for the funding allocated to primary care trusts for 200304 onwards to meet the estimated costs of the new contract. The Department and the NHS Modernisation Agency have provided further guidance to the NHS on this subject. The allocations are based on cost assumptions agreed with the British Medical Association and the other parties to the negotiations on the new contract.

Consultant Contract

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the maximum number of programmed activities that a consultant should undertake per week is under the consultant contract.

John Hutton: The new consultants' contract is based on a standard weekly commitment of 10 programmed activities for full-time consultants. The inclusion of additional programmed activities in consultants' job plans is ultimately a matter for agreement locally between national health service employing organisations and consultants, subject to ensuring that such agreements do not contravene the requirements of the Working Time Directive. The Department, the British Medical Association and NHS Confederation have agreed, however, that it should be one of the principal objectives of the contract to prioritise the use of consultants' time more effectively and better manage consultant workload.

Consultant Job Plans

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects all consultants to have a job plan.

John Hutton: We expect that the great majority of consultants who have given a commitment to the new national health service consultants' contract will have agreed job plans by 31 March 2004. Where, exceptionally, NHS trusts and other employing organisations consider that it will take longer to complete the job planning process for all consultants, they have been asked to agree arrangements with their strategic health authority to complete the process as early as possible in the new financial year.

Correspondence

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to reply to the hon. Member for Southend West's letter of 13 November 2003.

Stephen Ladyman: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on Thursday, 11 December 2003.

Dental Treatment

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ring fence the expenditure of primary care trusts for dental treatment.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 23 February 2004
	The resources for general dental services (CDS) which are currently held centrally will be devolved to primary care trusts (PCTs) from 1 April 2005. PCTs will be notified of these devolved dentistry budgets for 2005-06 during Autumn 2004. The dentistry budgets will be issued alongside PCTs' general allocations. The allocations will include funds currently spent on emergency dental services.
	We have guaranteed that dentists working in the GDS will have an automatic right to a contract under the new arrangements and that their gross earnings will be protected over the transition period of three years. During this period, PCTs' newly devolved dentistry allocations will represent a minimum level of spend on national health service dentistry which PCTs must maintain.

Dentists

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2004, Official Report, column 799804W, to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow), if he will make a statement on the impact of the change in dentist numbers in Hampshire between 2002 and 2003 on access to (a) dentists and (b) dentists who accept NHS patients.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 30 January 2004
	I refer the hon. Member to my pursuant response on Wednesday 28 January 2004, Official Report, column 398W.

Family Health Services Appeal Authority

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he will appoint an appeal panel under the Family Health Services Appeal Authority to consider the case of Dr. Barney Williams of the Marshfield Road Surgery, Chippenham;
	(2)  how hon. Members can make representations to an appeal panel set up under the Family Health Services Appeal Authority.

John Hutton: The Family Health Services Appeal Authority (FHSAA) is an independent tribunal. Its procedures are set out in the FHSAA (Procedure) Rules 2001 (SI 2001/3750) and the FHSAA (Primary Care Act) Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/3743). The hon. Member may wish to write to The President, Family Health Services Appeal Authority, 30 Victoria Avenue, Harrogate HG1 5PR.

Female Doctors

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2004, Official Report, column 967W, on medical students, what assessment he has made of the numbers of female doctors working (a) in general practice and (b) in hospitals wishing to (i) work part-time and (ii) take career breaks; and what impact this is having on the NHS.

John Hutton: The number of female doctors working in hospitals and in general practice who are part time is shown in the table. Information on the number of doctors who take career breaks is not available.
	The proportion of staff who are working part time and the impact of this on participation in the workforce is factored into the Department's and the National Health Service's workforce planning processes.
	
		Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS) Staff and General Medical PractitionersFemale doctors working part-time -- England, as at 30September 2002Numbers (headcount)
		
			   of which: of which: 
			  All staff Female Part-time 
		
		
			 All doctors(23) 104,460 38,755 11,647 
			 of which:
			 
			 HCHS Staff(23) 72,168 26,159 5,566 
			 of which:
			 
			 Medical Staff(23) 68,514 24,478 4,714 
			 of which:
			 Consultant 26,408 6,406 1,892 
			 Associate Specialist/Staff Grade 6,790 2,438 988 
			 Registrar Group 13,450 5,208 841 
			 Senior House Officer 16,685 7,493 288 
			 House Officer 3,953 2,042 18 
			 Other CHS 1,228 891 687 
			 
			 General Medical Practitioners(24) 32,292 12,596 6,081 
			 of which:
			 Unrestricted Principals and Equivalents (UPEs)(25) 28,031 9,626 4,356 
			 Restricted Principals 86 41 11 
			 Assistants 455 284 231 
			 GP Registrars 1,980 1,199 165 
			 Salaried Doctors (Para 52 SPA) 87 54 28 
			 PMS Other 543 305 203 
			 GP Retainers 1,110 1,087 1,087 
		
	
	Notes:
	(23) Excludes Hospital Medical Hospital Practitioners and Hospital Medical Clinical Assistants most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals.
	(24) All Practitioners include UPEs, Restricted Principals, Assistants, GP Registrars, Salaried Doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS Other and GP Retainers.
	(25) UPEs include QMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs.
	Source:
	Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census.
	Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

Mental Health

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the implementation of Standard 6 of the National Service Framework for Mental Health;
	(2)  what indication he has given of the priority that the Government expects the NHS and social services departments to give to the achievement of Government targets for carers of people with mental health problems.

Rosie Winterton: The national service framework (NSF) for mental health provides rationale and evidence base for a national standard for mental health services relating to carers of people with mental health problems.
	In accordance with this NSF standard, all individuals who provide regular and substantial care for a person on the care programme approach should have an assessment of their caring, physical and mental health needs repeated on at least an annual basis. People who provide regular and substantial care for a person on the care programme approach are also entitled to have their own written care plan, which is given to them and implemented in discussion with them.
	The Department published Developing Services for Carers and Families of People with Mental Illness in November 2002, the recommendations of which are being taken forward by the National Institute for Mental Health in England.
	The importance of support for carers was further emphasised in the NHS Plan (2000) and in the priorities and planning framework 200306 issued to local services.
	Progress on the development of robust local delivery plans for all the targets set out in the NHS Plan is assessed by the Department in partnership with strategic health authorities. In addition, progress is reported by an annual self-assessment exercise undertaken by mental health trusts.

Mental Health

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of staff in NHS mental health services are from an ethnic minority.

John Hutton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

GPs

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) headcount and (b) whole-time equivalent general practitioners there were in each year since 1997, broken down by (i) strategic health authority and (ii) primary care trust.

John Hutton: The earliest date for which information is available on a primary care trust level (PCT) is 2001.
	Information on the number of general practitioners (excluding GP retainers) in England and in each strategic health authority area since September 1997 and in each PCT since 2001, by headcount and whole time equivalent has been placed in the Library.

Group B Streptococcus

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when testing using enriched culture media will be available in the NHS for diagnosing group B streptococcus colonisation in pregnant women.

Stephen Ladyman: The recently published National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) clinical guideline on antenatal care recommends that pregnant women should not be offered routine antenatal screening for group B streptococcus (GBS) because evidence of its clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness remains uncertain.
	The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (NSC) is currently reviewing the prevention of GBS infection in new-born babies. As part of this review, the NSC organised a workshop in November 2003. The workshop discussed both the current tests available and potential tests for diagnosing GBS colonisation in pregnant women which are the subject of research now under way. This includes the enriched culture medium test. Further work on the use of different tests will be undertaken.

Hospital Construction

Tim Collins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the new hospitals to be built in (a) Bassetlaw, (b) Birmingham, Northfield, (c) Birmingham, Perry Barr, (d) Blaydon, (e) Blyth Valley, (f) Bootle, (g) Bradford West, (h) Braintree, (i) Burton, (j) Coventry North West, (k) Coventry South, (l) Dover, (m) Ealing North, (n) Eltham, (o) Feltham and Heston, (p) Forest of Dean, (q) Gateshead East and Washington West, (r) Hammersmith and Fulham, (s) Hendon, (t) Hornsey and Wood Green, (u) Ilford North, (v) Kettering, (w) Knowsley South, (x) Lancaster and Wyre, (y) Leeds North East, (z) Leeds West, (aa) Leicester East, (bb) Lewisham, Deptford, (cc) Liverpool, Riverside, (dd) Loughborough, (ee) Manchester, Withington, (ff) Milton Keynes North East, (gg) Northampton South, (hh) North West Leicestershire, (ii) Reading East, (jj) Reading West, (kk) Rugby and Kenilworth, (ll) Sheffield, Attercliffe, (mm) Sheffield, Hillsborough, (nn) Sittingbourne and Sheppey, (oo) Stevenage, (pp) Stockton North, (qq) Stoke-on-Trent, (rr) Stourbridge, (ss) Thurrock, (tt) Tyne Bridge, (uu) Wallasey, (vv) Wansbeck, (ww) Waveney, (xx) West Lancashire, (yy) Wirral West, (zz) Wolverhampton North East and (aaa) Wolverhampton South East; and when the decision was taken to build them.

John Hutton: Planned new hospital schemes to be built, with the date of the initial business case approval, are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Constituency Hospital scheme in constituency Date of initial business case approval 
		
		
			 (a) Bassetlaw None  
			 (b) Birmingham, Northfield None  
			 (c) Birmingham, Perry Bar None  
			 (d) Blaydon None  
			 (e) Blyth Valley None  
			 (f) Bootle None  
			 (g) Bradford West Bradford Hospitals191 million February 2001 
			 (h) Braintree None  
			 (i) Burton None  
			 (j) Coventry North West None  
			 (k) Coventry South None  
			 (1) Dover East Kent Hospitals200 million February 2001 
			 (m) Ealing North None  
			 (n) Eltham None  
			 (o) Felthan and Heston None  
			 (p) Forest of Dean None  
			 (q) Gateshead East and Washington West None  
			 (r) Hammersmith and Fulham None  
			 (s) Hendon None  
			 (t) Hornsey and Wood Green None  
			 (u) Ilford North None  
			 (v) Kettering None  
			 (w) Knowsley South St. Helens and Knowlsey Hospitals229 million February 2001 
			 (x) Lancaster and Wye None  
			 (y) Leeds North East None  
			 (z) Leeds West None  
			 (aa) Leicester East University Hospitals of Leicester403 million February 2001 
			 (bb) Lewisham, Deptford Lewisham Hospital51 million February 2001 
			 (cc) Liverpool, Riverside None  
			 (dd) Loughborough None  
			 (ee) Manchester, Withington None  
			 (ft) Milton Keynes North East None  
			 (gg) Northampton South Northampton PCT28.9 million April 1999 
			 (hh) North West Leicestershire None  
			 (ii) Reading East None  
			 (jj) Reading West None  
			 (kk) Rugby and Kenilworth None  
			 (ll) Sheffield, Attercliffe None  
			 (mm) Sheffield, Hillsborough None  
			 (nn) Sittingbourne and Sheppey None  
			 (oo) Stevenage None  
			 (pp) Stockton North None  
			 (qq) Stoke-on-Trent North Staffordshire Hospital269 million February 2001 
			 (rr) Stourbridge None  
			 (ss) Thurrock None  
			 (tt) Tyne Bridge None  
			 (uu) Wallasey None 
			 (vv) Wansbeck, Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland MH25 million February 2001 
			 (ww) Waveney, None  
			 (xx) West Lancashire, None  
			 (yy) Wirral West, None  
			 (zz) Wolverhampton North East Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals31 2 million February 2001 
			 (aaa) Wolverhampton South East None

Hospital Waiting Lists

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people who have received a referral from their general practitioner are waiting to be accepted onto a hospital waiting list after (a) one month, (b) two months, (c) three months and (d) six months, broken down by NHS trust.

John Hutton: The information requested is not available.
	National health service trusts should place patients on their waiting list upon receipt of referral from a general practitioner. There should therefore be no significant delay between a GP making a referral and the trust placing the patient on the waiting list.
	By 31 December 2005, all patients will be able to book their appointment at the point of referral. GPs will be able to book an appointment direct from their surgery while the patient waits, or, if preferred, the patient can telephone a call centre to book their hospital appointment when they get home.
	Out-patient waiting time data are available in the Library.

Hospitals (Star Ratings)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the performance indicators for the 200304 star ratings exercise for hospitals.

John Hutton: The indicators to be used in the 200304 National Health Service performance ratings were published by the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) on 18 December 2003. Full details can be found on the CHI website at: www.chi.nhs.uk. The results of the 200304 assessment will be published by the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection.

National Health Statistics

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2003, Official Report, columns 112830W, on national health statistics, whether decisions have now been made on NHS statistical collections which will be discontinued.

John Hutton: holding answer 23 February 2004
	The Department's review of national health service statistical collections is continuing, and final decisions on discontinuing returns have not yet been made.

National Health Statistics

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2003, Official Report, columns 112830W, on national health statistics, if he will publish, for each set of statistics which the Department has not collected since 1999, the figures for each of the five years prior to collection being discontinued.

John Hutton: holding answer 23 February 2004
	The information on each set of statistics is as follows.
	Professional advice and support programmes: Community Maternity Services (KC54): statistics were published in the series Community Maternity Services: summary information for England for each year 199596 to 19992000. The most recent is available at www.publications.doh.gov.uk/public/kc549900.htm
	Clinical psychology (KT24): statistics were published in the series Clinical Psychology: summary information for England for each year 19992000 to 200203. The three most recent publications are available at:
	www.publications.doh.gov.uk/public/kt240001/index.htm
	www.publications.doh.gov.uk/pubLic/kt240102/index.htm
	www.publications.doh.gov.uk/public/kt240203/index.htm
	Summary of patient activity (KP70): statistics were published in the series Ordinary and day case admissions for each year 199495 to 199798. Figures on ordinary and day case admission are available from the Hospital Episode Statistics system for 199899 onwards at: www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsandStatistics/Statistics/HospitalEpisodeStatistics
	General ophthalmic services (GOS) losses and recoveries.
	GP fundholding budget and expenditure (PC101 to 04).
	These two returns were used for internal management purposes at the Department of Health and the information was not published. Figures could be provided now only at disproportionate cost.
	Monitoring of delayed discharges (CC MON). This return was collected by the NHS Eastern Regional Office (which no longer exists) as an internal management tool; the information was not published.
	Availability of dentistry: Quarterly Monitoring Report (A6). Statistics were produced for the period 1997 to 2002 quarter 1, but were not routinely published. Figures are given in the table.
	
		General Dental Services: Number and whole time equivalent of salaried dentists at the last day of each quarter until 2002 quarter one, England
		
			  Number Whole time equivalent 
		
		
			  
			  
			 1997   
			 Q1 179 98.5 
			 Q2 182 98.8 
			 Q3 189 104.1 
			 Q4 187 103.7 
			
			 1998   
			 Q1 192 105.1 
			 Q2 190 107.3 
			 Q3 186 104.9 
			 Q4 178 94.6 
			
			 1999   
			 Q1 179 94.4 
			 Q2 137 81.2 
			 Q3 137 78.8 
			 Q4 125 77.1 
			
			 2000   
			 Q1 122 68.2 
			 Q2 118 67.2 
			 Q3 132 69.4 
			 Q4 115 63.9 
			
			 2001   
			 Q1 111 52.4 
			 Q2 101 52.4 
			 Q3 85 33.9 
			 Q4 77 31.1 
			
			 2002   
			 Q1 63 24.0 
		
	
	All publications are available in the Library.

NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department will respond to the consultation on proposals to reform and modernise the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 1992.

Rosie Winterton: We are considering carefully the report, received in January 2004, of the expert advisory group set up to advise how best to implement our proposals to reform the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 1992. The group considered views received on the Department's consultation document issued in August 2003. We will make further announcements as soon as possible.

NHS Budgets

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the centrally funded initiatives and services and special allocations budget for 200304 (a) has not been spent and (b) has been transferred into another budget.

John Hutton: The Centrally Funded Initiatives and Services and Special Allocations (CFISSA) programme is fully committed in 200304. Approximately 37 million remains to be formally allocated to primary care trusts. In addition, further scheduled payments still need to be made in the period to 31 March 2004 in fulfilment of existing contracts and service level agreements.
	The table shows the transfers to and from the CFISSA programme in 200304.
	
		Transfer record for the CFISSA Programme200304  --  millions
		
			 Overall CFISSA Programme announced in HSC 2002/012 (18 December 2002) 8,645 
		
		
			 Less amount included in PCT initial resource limits -207 
			 Less amount included in PCT allocations for cost of living addition -109 
			 Other net changes to overall programme before February 2003 29 
			 Starting point for 200304 8,358 
			   
			 In year changes to the programme  
			 Net effect of in-year transfers to/from other Government Departments 338 
			 Net transfers from FHS non-discretionary funds 1,656 
			 Net transfers to/from Central Health and Miscellaneous Services programme -30 
			 Net transfers to/from Personal Social Services, Centrally Financed Services programme 40 
			 Transfer from Capital 318 
			 Net transfers to/from Admin -6 
			 Additional expenditure funded by higher levels of receipts 10 
			 Reductions in PCT allocations to fund additional central expenditure 33 
			 Pensions Indexation (additional funds from Treasury) 1,664 
			 Cost of Capital and Discount Rate changes (additional funds from Treasury) 305 
			 Inter-Year Flexibility as applied to the CFISSA programme 344 
			 Overall effect of in-year changes 4,672 
			 Revised level of CFISSA programme 13,030

NHS Closures

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the (a) hospitals, (b) doctors' surgeries and (c) other NHS clinics which have been closed since 1997.

John Hutton: Information on hospital closures ceased to be collected in 1991 following the introduction of the national health service internal market and trusts. Hospital reprovision will often lead to fewer hospital buildings (for example, because of consolidation on a single site), but the resulting modernised, fit-for-purpose new facilities will offer better patient care and better quality services.
	Information on the closure of doctors' surgeries is not held centrally. Primary care trusts (and their health authority predecessors) will be aware of individual closures. Modernisation of primary care facilities will often lead to fewer, larger premises (for example, one-stop centres providing a wider range of services to patients).

NHS Foundation Trusts

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his proposed review of the first wave of NHS foundation trusts; when the review will (a) begin and (b) end; what its terms of reference will be; what resources will be allocated to the review; whether the (i) terms of reference and (ii) report produced will be made public; whether parliamentary time will be set aside to debate the review and its outcome; and whether the review will include a consultation process.

John Hutton: Details of the review of national health service foundation trusts will be announced before the first NHS foundation trusts are authorised by the Independent Regulator of NHS foundation trusts.

NHS Trust Star Ratings

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to his statement of 7 January 2003, Official Report, column 279, which trusts received an increased star rating as a result of the recalculations;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the removal of the (a) information management and technology and (b) catering criteria from the 2002 star ratings on the scoring methodology;
	(3)  which individual NHS trust ratings the Secretary of State queried during consideration of the 2002 star ratings; and what the reasons were in each case;
	(4)  on which 3-star NHS trusts at risk of losing a star Ministers raised queries during consideration of the 2002 star ratings;
	(5)  how many recalculations of the 2002 NHS trust star ratings took place (a) before and (b) after 15 to 16 July 2002; and what the reasons were for each recalculation;
	(6)  which criteria in the 2002 NHS trust star ratings were changed when they were recalculated on 15 to 16 July 2002;
	(7)  for what reasons no trust lost a star rating following the recalculation of the 2002 star rating on 15 to 16 July 2002.

John Hutton: The first calculation of provisional 2002 national health service trust performance ratings to be based on a full data set took place on 9 July 2002. Calculations were then checked and, where necessary, refined on a regular basis through to the publication on 24 July 2002, in order to correct any data errors and ensure the results represented an accurate reflection of NHS performance.
	The specific change to the criteria used to calculate provisional performance ratings between 15 and 16 July 2002 was the removal of two performance indicators, covering access to catering facilities and information management and technology, which had been proposed as part of the rating system. The indicators were removed following a significant number of concerns raised by NHS trusts over the quality of their construction and the data that would have to be used.
	The star ratings system uses the relative position of trusts against a wide range of performance indicators to help distinguish between three, two and one star ratings. So, in principle, a trust's position could be improved or worsened by changes to the indicator scores of other trusts. No trust's provisional rating dropped on 15 to 16 July because other indicator data did not change significantly at that time. However, by the time the ratings were published on 24 July 2002, the removal of these two indicators had contributed to a lower rating for some trusts, aided by the relative position of other trusts having improved as data on other indicators changed. If these indicators had remained part of the 2002 performance ratings, 11 acute NHS trusts would have received a different rating at the time of publication: seven trusts would have had a lower rating; four trusts would have had a higher rating.
	Overall, as a consequence of the removal of the two indicators and a number of other data corrections and refinements, there were 23 acute and specialist NHS trusts that had an increased performance rating between the 12 July 2002 calculation of provisional ratings and their final rating for that year. The 23 trusts which increased from their provisional rating were:
	Barts and the London NHS Trust
	Basildon and Thurrock NHS Trust
	Birmingham Women's Health Care NHS Trust
	Brighton Health Care NHS Trust
	Burnley Health Care NHS Trust
	Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust
	Cardiothoracic CentreLiverpool NHS Trust
	Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust
	Gloucestershire Royal NHS Trust
	Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust
	Kettering General Hospital NHS Trust
	Kingston Hospital NHS Trust
	Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
	Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Trust, London
	North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust
	Rotherham General Hospitals NHS Trust
	Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust
	Royal Liverpool Children's NHS Trust
	Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases NHS Trust, Bath
	South Durham Health Care NHS Trust
	University College London Hospitals NHS Trust
	Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery NHS Trust
	Wirral Hospital NHS Trust.
	The then Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn), raised queries about the provisional rating of nine acute NHS trusts, in the run-up to publication, to satisfy himself that ratings to be awarded were based on robust evidence and represented an accurate reflection of NHS performance. The nine acute trusts whose provisional rating the then Secretary of State queried are listed. Those marked with an asterisk are trusts which had been three-star in the 2001 performance ratings.
	Barts and the London NHS Trust
	Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Trust*
	Norfolk and Norwich Health Care NHS Trust*
	Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust*
	Northumbria Health Care NHS Trust*
	South Durham Healthcare NHS Trust*
	The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust*
	University College London Hospitals NHS Trust
	West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust*.

Organ Donation

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of registrations were made via each procedure available for individuals to register themselves on the organ donor register in the last year for which figures are available.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Registrations onto the national health service organ donor register, 2003 by source of registrationproportions
		
			 Source Percentage 
		
		
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency 37 
			 Family Health Services Authorities 28 
			 Organ Donor Leaflet 3 
			 Passport Office 1 
			 Boots Advantage Card 14 
			 On-line 1 
			 Other 16 
		
	
	Note:
	Analysis on 15 January 2004

Organ Donation

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cadaveric organ donations there were in each of the past three years.

Rosie Winterton: The number of cadaveric organ donors in each of the past three years200103is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Donors 
		
		
			 2001 778 
			 2002 770 
			 2003 710 
		
	
	Source:
	UK Transplant

Organ Donation

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many non-heartbeating organ donations there were in each of the past three years; and in how many cases the deceased was on the donor register.

Rosie Winterton: The number of non-heart-beating (NHB) organ donors over the last three years and the number of those who were on the organ donor register (ODR) is shown in the table.
	
		
			  NHB donors Numberon ODR Percentageon ODR 
		
		
			 2001 39 10 25.8 
			 2002 53 12 22.6 
			 2003 66 17 25.8 
			 Total 158 39 24.7 
		
	
	Source:
	UK Transplant

Organ Donation

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are on the organ donor register; and how many people joined the register in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: There are currently 11.11 million people registered on the national health service organ donor register.
	The number of registrations added to the register over the last five years1999 to 2003are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number added (million) 
		
		
			 1999 1.51 
			 2000 1.23 
			 2001 0.74 
			 2002 1.08 
			 2003 0.87

Parliamentary Questions

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days on average his Department took in Session 200203 to give a substantive answer to a parliamentary question for ordinary written answer; and what the greatest number of days taken to answer such a question was.

Rosie Winterton: The average time take to answer an ordinary written parliamentary question in the 200203 session was 12 working days. The greatest number of days taken to answer such a question was 127 working days.
	The Department strives to answer hon. and right hon. Members' questions in a timely and helpful fashion and is currently seeking to improve performance.

PFI Projects

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many PFI projects in progress have (a) delayed timetables and (b) cost overruns; and if he will list the time delays and cost implications in each case.

John Hutton: Indicative timetables and budgets are set for all schemes as part of their project management arrangements. During procurement, timetables are revised as necessary to reflect changed circumstances. Planned costs may also change but the scheme must remain affordable to the local health economy, and demonstrate value for money.
	Firm completion dates (that is, when the hospital is open) are set only once contracts are signed for private finance initiative (PFI) schemes. To date, all major PFI schemes have been opened on or ahead of their planned completion target date.
	Once contracts are signed, the risk of cost overruns is borne by the consortium.

Primary Care

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints have been received about (a) general practitioner co-operatives undertaking out of hours service provision and (b) private companies providing out of hours primary care on behalf of the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: Information on the number of complaints made against either general practitioner co-operatives or private companies providing out of hours care, is not held centrally. Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for ensuring that out of hours services provided meet nationally set quality standards, which include compliance with the national health service complaints procedure.
	Under the new general medical services (GMS) contract, everyone who provides services out of hours, including individuals contracted by the PCT, as well as organisations, will need to meet the national quality standards. These standards are currently under review by an expert group to make them an integral part of GMS and personal medical services (PMS) contracting. Strategic health authorities have responsibility for performance managing PCTs in their delivery of out of hours services.

Commission for Health Improvement

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the costs have been of the Commission for Health Improvement in each year since its creation.

John Hutton: The costs published in Commission for Health Improvement's annual accounts are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Cost ( million) 
		
		
			 19992000 1.461 
			 200001 11.272 
			 200102 22.586 
			 200203 28.5

Red and Yellow Cards

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) 'red' and (b) 'yellow cards' have been issued by hospitals in England in each of the past three years.

John Hutton: This information is not recorded centrally. The issuing of 'red cards' and 'yellow cards' is the responsibility of the individual health bodies.

Restructuring/Change Programme

David Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the expected impact is of the departmental change programme on the provision of benefit and welfare services to the public;
	(2)  what the specific objectives are of the departmental change programme; and how the Department has consulted (a) staff, (b) other Government Departments and agencies and (c) external agencies and partners about this matter;
	(3)  what analysis has been carried out to demonstrate that the restructuring programme for the Department will provide (a) better value for money and (b) better accountability;
	(4)  what health programmes and services will be affected by the reorganisation and staff cuts within the Department.

John Hutton: The Department will be responsible for setting overall direction for the health and social care system, enabling choice in service provision, setting standards, securing resources, making the big investment decisions and holding the whole system to account through independent regulation and inspection. This will mean that the capacity needed for the whole system to operate effectively is available. Patients, service users and providers of care will all know what is expected anywhere in the country. Where standards are not being met, the Government will intervene where necessary.
	The change programme will focus the Department on a more strategic role, devolving responsibility to the front line. It will change the way the Department does its business so that it can provide more effective leadership and a better service to Ministers and the public. This will result in a reduction in the size of the core Department by 1,400from over 3,600 posts to 2,200by October 2004.
	Staff have been consulted through major events and workshops in London and Leeds to help design the Department, monthly written and face-to-face briefings and monthly workshops on human resource questions. Government Departments, agencies and other partners have been consulted through special events in June and October 2004 to help design the changes, a series of one-to-one meetings on particular issues and progress updates from the Permanent Secretary, Sir Nigel Crisp, in June and October 2004.
	The restructuring will provide a slimmer, more focused centrereducing burden and duplication in the system. New policy development processes will ensure we make the best use of resources by focusing on priorities and involving service users in policy development. New working methods will improve our accountability to Parliament and the public. The change programme will be evaluated to check its delivery.
	The change programme supports the drive for better public services. It ensures that the 'centre of gravity' moves closer to the frontline. More freedom for frontline staff will lead to better services for patients and users.

Rural Health Care

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on shortages of general practitioners in rural areas.

John Hutton: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) routinely publishes data classifying health authorities (HAs) into categories, including urban and rural. In the future, this will be by primary care trust. The latest published data refer to 2001. In that year, in England, the rural HAs had 59.7 unrestricted principals and equivalent (UPEs) per 100,000 registered patients, while the national average was 54.3 UPEs per 100,000 registered patients. There is, therefore, no evidence of under-doctoring in rural areas overall, although there will be some areas with recruitment difficulties.
	The Government are committed to expanding the general practitioner workforce and have implemented a range of measures to increase the supply of GPs.
	The Flexible Careers Scheme
	The GP Returner Scheme
	The Golden Hello Scheme
	The NHS Delayed Retirement Scheme
	International recruitment
	Extension of the improving working lives initiative to primary care
	Increasing training places, including new premises to train and employ more GPs.

Saxon Square Health Centre (Christchurch)

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1209W, on Saxon Square Health Centre (Christchurch), what estimate he has made of the current value of his Department's interest in the accommodation;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1209W, on Saxon Square Health Centre (Christchurch), if he will make a statement on the work which is ongoing to secure an assignee or subtenant;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1209W, on Saxon Square Health Centre (Christchurch), what has been the cost since 1999 of efforts to dispose of the accommodation; and how much has been spent in the last year;
	(4)  pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2004, Official Report, column 1209W, on Saxon Square Health Centre (Christchurch), whether the NHS will enter discussions with the head leaseholder to surrender the leasehold interest.

John Hutton: holding answer 23 February 2004
	Since 1999, the total costs attributable to the disposal of this accommodation are in the order of 8,500 and approximately 3,000 has been spent in the last year.
	Discussions are currently taking place with a national health service trust with a view to them taking responsibility for this leasehold interest.
	The current estimated value for the health centre is commercially confidential.
	Further negotiations will be held with the head leaseholder if and when it is in the best interests of the NHS.

Working Time Directive

Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether compliance with the European Working Time Directive for doctors in training will become a Commission for Health Improvement performance indicator.

John Hutton: From April 2004, the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection will take over responsibility for developing indicators and national health service performance ratings. The latest performance indicators, published by the Commission for Health Improvement for use in the 200304 performance ratings, includes an indicator for qualified junior doctors' working hours. The indicator relates to post registration house officers, senior house officers and specialist registrars only.